Imagine this. A player retires at 26 years of age at the peak of her career, having just been part of a riveting semi-final at Wimbledon, with a ranking of no.8 in the world.

It's not unusual for such a player to harbour the odd tinge of regret about retiring at one's peak, and many an athlete in such a scenario make a comeback within two or three years, certainly five years at the most.

The year was 1996, and the 26 year old was Japanese tennis player Kimiko Date.

Let's go back to 1996, to that Wimbledon semi final. Date was on Centre Court against world #1 and defending champion Steffi Graf, losing the first set 6-2. Kimiko then produced some of the most dazzling tennis which had to be seen to be believed and, to be honest, perhaps only she was capable of. At 5' 4" (or 1.63), the dimunitive Japanese does not have power to burn, relying on beautiful movement and centimetre-perfect placement. Kimiko does not bludgeon the ball, she caresses it. Her forehand is quite unique, open and almost dead flat, yet deadly in its own right. Her two handed backhand is equally flat, and possesses the same lethal characteristic. Kimiko can hit either shot either way at any time. This requires exceptional talent, and most likely 10,000 hours of practice!

On that second Thursday at Wimbledon in 1996, Kimiko Date lit up Centre Court with a sustained display of brilliant shot making, a performance that not even the great Steffi Graf could match. I, along with many others, witnessed an endless stream of winners from little Kimiko's racquet.

Steffi could only but watch, at the same time not only completely mesmerised but also highly frustrated.....she was being given a tennis lesson on the hallowed turf.

Date swept through the second set 6-2, and was ahead in the third, with few in that packed stadium in little doubt that a major upset was not only imminent, but highly deserved. As someone who has been around the sport a long time, it was one of those matches where you could safely say the momentum was unstoppable.

Only one thing could save Steffi......an occurrence in sync with the old adage "losing is running out of time to win".

Kimiko simply ran out of time. It wasn't English drizzle, but failing light, which sealed her fate. Halfway through the third set, with Steffi on the ropes, referee Alan Mills halted play for the evening. The decision didn't sit well with the crowd (as it seemed the light had not significantly deteriorated), but Steffi was off that court in lightning speed....she knew a lifeline when she saw one.

Poor Kimiko just had to accept the ruling, as it would not be in the nature of such a courteous Japanese lady to protest, as many others would have. We watched as she slowly gathered her racquets and belongings, some of us knowing all too well that tomorrow would be another day. As indeed it was....Kimiko was not able to reproduce the wizardry, and Steffi advanced to another Wimbledon final and victory.

I still wonder if that heartbreaking loss was a key factor in Kimiko's retirement a few months later.....I suspect it was. It was something that could be argued takes perhaps 10, or even 12, years to get over. Well that was the length of Date's retirement - 12 years. At 38 years of age, yet retaining an ageless beauty, Kimiko Date Krumm, having married a German racing car driver Michael Krumm in 2001, returned to the WTA Tour. You've heard it all before...the game's moved on, it's all about power, the tiny girls can't match it. Well Kimiko Date stands as an antidote to the doubters, as she won her eighth WTA title in Seoul last year, some 13 years after her seventh. Only the great Billie Jean King, by a few months, won a title whilst older.

This week, Kimiko Date turned 40. How did she celebrate it? At home naturally, but it happened to be the same week as the US$2 million Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. First round, she defeated Maria Sharapova (who packs a punch or two), then promptly dispatched Daniella Hantuchova on her 40th birthday! She lost next round in three sets to top-10 player Francesca Schiavone, but you get the picture. She still elicits fear in the top women players. After all, good technique is always good, and perhaps having a bit of unfulfilled destiny doesn't hurt either.

The comebacks of Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin have received all the attention but, admirable as they may be, I say Kimiko Date stands as a massive inspiration to those who say it can't be so.

Many happy returns for the big 40 Kimiko!