Ena Shibahara is a tennis player whose love for tennis started at a young age. By the age of 7, she had begun to play tennis with her father and brothers in Rancho Palos Verdes. Since then, her father, Yoshi Shibahara, has been her personal coach.
Yoshi taught Ena and her brothers all they needed to know about tennis as her brothers are also players. When Shibahara got to the age of eight, she had already entered her first competitive tournament.
Ena Shibahara is Japanese but used to play for the United States, her birth country until July 2019 when she switched to Japan.
Besides playing tennis, the 26-year-old enjoys shopping, hiking, and listening to music. Additionally, she enjoys spending time with her family who she has always had support from.
Below Are 10 Facts About Ena Shibahara That Would Interest You
1. Shibahara Hails from a Family of Tennis Players
Ena Shibahara was born to Yoshiyasu and Sachiko on February 12, 1998. She has two older brothers named Shuhei and Mizui who she grew up with. They were raised in Mountain View before they relocated to Rancho Palos Verdes.
Yoshi Shibahara taught his children, Ena, and her brothers how to play tennis. She was blessed to have been trained by both her father and brother Shuhei Shibahara. Shuhei is also a great tennis player.
2. Ena Shibahara’s Age and Height
At the moment, the Japanese player is 26 years old. She is still quite young although she isn’t one of the youngest female tennis players in the world at the moment. The youngest is Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff. The oldest tennis player, though plays only at the local level, is Gail Falkenberg.
Ena Shibahara stands 5 feet 8 inches tall (173cm) and weighs around 148lbs.
3. She Was a Four-Time Season MVP in High School and Has Won 5 Doubles Titles on the ITF Circuit
While in Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Shibahara was a four-time season MVP. Adding to her feat is the rank of one of the best high school tennis players in the country. This she achieved while still in High School.
By the time Shibahara was 16, she was placed at the third position in ranks in her class and was regarded as the number one prospect in California.
After high school, she was enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles to study Sociology. However, this did not interfere with her love and dedication to tennis. Upon completing her freshman season, she finished at No.4 in the NCAA Division I Women’s National Singles Rankings and was named ‘All-American’ for the entire 2017 season.
However, Shibahara made her grand slam debut as a wildcard in the girls’ doubles event. She partnered with Jada Hart and they won the Us Open Girls’ doubles tournament. In addition to winning the ITA Rookie of the year and ITA All-America awards in 2017, Ena won five ITF Women’s Doubles and also earned the NCAA Pac12 MVP IN 2018.
It is worthy to point out that Ena started her journey with the goal of being a Grand Slam champion.
Read Also: Whitney Osuigwe- Bio, Parents, Tennis Career, 7 Unknown Details
4. Shibahara Fulfilled Her Dreams of Playing at the Olympics
Growing up, one of the American-born’s dreams was to play at an Olympic stadium. Fortunately, this dream came true when she was told she would be going to Japan to play at the Olympic games. However, there was a challenge which was the criteria of being both domestic and international athlete and playing in both tournaments in other to qualify.
However, her major challenge was funding. She needed a lot of money to help pay for her travels and so she opted to get help online.
5. She Has a Website
Shibahara has a website where she has shared information about herself with all those who wish to know her more. On this site, you can see as much as her hobbies and about her. She also shares her preferences on certain topics. Additionally, she shares her match schedules on the website.
6. She Shares a lot of Similarities with Roger Federer
It is not a coincidence that Ena’s favorite tennis player is Roger Federer. The all-court player is often described as the female version of the tennis icon, Federer. Her favorite surface is hard and her favorite shot is the serve. She is also a right-handed player.
7. Ena Shibahara Loves to Have Fun
The young athlete has shown time and again that she is not just ‘all work’ but she loves to have fun as well. For followers of hers on social media, they understand this so well. Ena who has over 8k followers pon her Instagram, shares posts of her having fun, celebrating life, and hanging out with her loved ones.
8. Here is a List of Shibahara Ena’s Achievements
Besides being the fourth person to ever win both singles and Doubles at Ojai, the Japanese-American tennis player won eight career titles (doubles) in the past. Here are some of the awards and titles she has earned in her career so far:
- High School Team All-American MVP 2013-2016
- Daily Breeze MVP 2013-2016
- High School All-American and MVP 2014-2016
- US National Sportsmanship award 2014 – 2016
- US National Sportsmanship award 2014 – 2016
- Southern California MVP 2014, 2015 all-time MVP 2016
- Athlete of the Year 2016 – PV Peninsula High School
- College SouthWest division MVP 2017
- College PAC12 MVP 2017 – 2018
- UCLA Scholar-Athlete 2017 2018
- Southern California Sportsmanship award
9. She is a Huge Fan of the brand Ellesse
As a shopaholic, it is not strange information that the tennis star has some favorite brands. She isn’t shy to share her utmost love for certain brands, especially those who have supported her journey through Tennis. One of such brands is ‘Ellesse’ she steady flaunts their wears on her social media handles.
There is also another brand known as Yonex that she appreciates for their support in her career.
10. How Much Does She Earn?
Currently, the Japanese player earned a career prize money of about $820,745. Ranking 5th as of February 28, 2022, on the WTA rankings, her prize money for the year is reportedly $114,786.
Complete profile of Ena Shibahara
| Ena Shibahara | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ena Shibahara |
| Date of Birth | 12 February 1998 |
| Age | 26 years |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Birth place | Mountain View, California, United States |
| Nationality | American/Japanese |
| Education | Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, University of California |
| Profession | Professional Tennis Player |
| Father | Yoshiyasu Shibahara |
| Mother | Sachiko Shibahara |
| Siblings | Shuhei and Mizuki |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Spouse/Partner | NA |
| Boyfriend | NA |
| Kids | NA |
| Religion | NA |
| Estimated Net Worth: | NA |
| Source of net worth | Tennis career |
| Height | 5feet 8inches(1.73m) |
| Weight | 148lbs |
| Eye color | Dark Brown |
| Hair color | Dark Brown |
| Social media |
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