Hamburg. From 1931 to 1933 Sato played in ten ties for the Japanese Davis Cup team and won 22 rubbers and lost only six, compiling a 79% winning record. Playing style Sato played with a flat forehand drive which he modeled after Henri Cochet when Cochet visited Japan in 1929. He hit the ball on the forehand side early after the bounce and he was an excellent volleyer. Personal life Jiro Sato attended Waseda University and studied economics. He abandoned his studies in 1933 to pursue tennis. He had an elder brother, Hyotaro Sato, who was also a tennis player. He was engaged to Sanae Okada in 1934, one of Japan's best female tennis players. Death On April 4, 1934, Jiro Sato was on the ship N.Y.K. Hakone Maru crossing the Strait of Malacca to Europe for the 1934 International Lawn Tennis Challenge (later to be known as Davis Cup) against the Australia Davis Cup team in the second round. Ted Tinling was also on board that ship. Earlier in the day Sato complained of stomach pains and thus had no appetite and kept to his cabin. He considered leaving the ship at Singapore, which he did for a medical examination. The exam revealed no reasons for his health problems and it was concluded that his problems were psychological. Sato was nervous and feared that his illness would be an obstacle for his team to win. As the day passed, the Japan Davis Cup team was given a banquet hosted by the Japanese consul to Singapore. Sato was present and was further pushed by the consul and his teammates to proceed with the trip and sail to Europe. That same day a cable was received from the Japanese Lawn Tennis Association insisting on Sato's participation in the Davis Cup and that the voyage should be resumed without delay. At 11:30 p.m. on April 5, 1934, before reaching Penang, Sato was found missing by his compatriot Jiro Yamagishi. The last time he was seen was at 8:30 p.m. when he had dinner in his cabin. He left two suicide notes, one to his Japanese tennis teammates expressing doubts that he would be able to help the team in the upcoming contest. He begged them to forgive him and do their best to prevail in the match. He promised he would be with his colleagues in spirit. The other note was addressed