"Many kids, when they start playing, they let the ball bounce twice," says Rodrigo Hernandez, talking about tennis, but also about life. "You have to give your best from the first ball. You have to perform on the court during practice as if you were playing a match. Never give up, even in practice."

Touching down in Japan for the first time in 1986, the Colombia-born coach and player brought with him a wealth of experience and expertise gained from working with and competing against some of the greats of world tennis. Like many a new arrival, he didn't expect to stay longer than a year.

Fast-forward to today and the 62-year-old is still here, having spent nearly 30 years coaching up-and-coming young players at one of the best-known and most respected tennis academies in Japan.