Short answers, pulled from the story.
Aim for the Ace! follows Hiromi Oka, a high school student who struggles to become a professional tennis player while overcoming mental weakness, anxiety, and the conflict between love and athletic ambition. The manga was written and illustrated by Sumika Yamamoto and serialized in Shueisha's Margaret magazine from January 1973 to February 1980.
Aim for the Ace! has sold approximately 15 million copies in Japan, making it one of the best-selling shojo manga series of all time.
Osamu Dezaki served as general director of all 26 episodes of the first 1973 anime television series and later directed the 1979 anime film and the second OVA. The second television series was directed by Minoru Okazaki.
The original 1973 anime television series was cancelled due to poor initial ratings in Japan, ending at half its originally intended episode count. Reruns later attracted high ratings, which led to the production of a second television series beginning in 1978.
Aim for the Ace! established a widely imitated template in sports and yuri anime, including the archetype of a clumsy protagonist with hidden potential, a rival, and a tragic coach. Gainax's OVA Gunbuster directly parodied its setup and style, and director Kenji Kamiyama of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex named it among the 15 best anime of all time.
Shuzo Matsuoka, described as the first successful Japanese professional tennis player, was influenced to play tennis by the esteem he had for Aim for the Ace! He later served as tennis supervisor for the 2004 live-action television drama adaptation of the series.