ITF

ALFIE HEWETT INTERVIEW Clockwise from top le : Hewe won the Paralympic silver medal at Rio 2016; flying the flag a er his first Grand Slam singles triumph at Roland Garros in 2017; playing at the 2021 US Open; Hewe has twice won the season- ending NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters "But progressively over the last five years or so there's been opportunities that have really highlighted the sport. "It's actually quite scary, but also exciting, to think how far it's come – the courts we're now playing on, the publicity, the crowds – you know we dream of a tour like that. "So now hopefully with us playing on Court 1 at Wimbledon, (Court Philippe) Chatrier at Roland Garros to name some of the places I've played finals on this year, there's some young kid out there who can dream of playing wheelchair tennis on Court 1 to a packed crowd, rather court 70 with only a few people." And in what the world No. 2 describes as another "momentous" occasion not just for himself but also the sport, less than 24 hours later he got the chance to return there to play in his singles final, where the Wimbledon fans witnessed the growing rivalry between Hewett and Japan's Tokito Oda played out on one of the show courts at a Slam. It's not only a match-up that is getting fans of the sport excited, but it's also one that is pushing Hewett to develop his game. He said, "It's honestly great. Tokito's come along and really stamped his authority on the tour and certainly motivates me, and the other players, to train harder. "If I think back to Australia at the beginning of the year, I think I'm actually a better player than I was then but so is he. "You know, he's setting some standards out there and I feel like I'm doing that too, and then as a result you've got a great display of wheelchair tennis wherever you're playing, whether that be at the Paralympics and Grand Slams or at other events on the tour." It was his impressive backhand that first got people talking about Hewett's potential, but as he's risen through the junior and senior ranks it's been his determination to keep progressing and never resting on his last title win. Hewett is a player who wears his heart on his sleeve out on court, and someone who off court is honest about his performances and what he needs to do to keep pushing his game forward. Anyone who has watched him play knows his bullying backhand is still one of his most effective shots, especially when he manages to perfectly hit those lines and make it look easy while he's doing it. But there are other elements to his game now that are equally impressive. And that is down to Hewett's work ethic and approach to his training. "I've been determined throughout my career to make sure my game isn't just one dimensional," he said. "It's so important to add more variety to what you're doing, and the only way you can really achieve that and make every shot your weapon is to push yourself and put everything – physically and emotionally – into your training during those training blocks – so that's what I try to do." And of course alongside his training, on his way to the 25 Grand Slam titles he's already achieved during his career – seven in singles and 18 in doubles all partnering Reid – he's taken every opportunity that has come his way to improve his game. This includes when he was just starting out on his tennis journey, at the Johan Cruyff Foundation junior wheelchair tennis camps run by the ITF. It's not just the tennis that the 25-year-old remembers in those early years. "It's an amazing experience to be part of," he said. "You build relationships and friendships that last a lifetime. "I think Utrecht was my first one and I met so many young people like myself – some don't play anymore, yes, but some still play socially and some I was even competing against at Wimbledon this year – plus there's a little competition as well that's part of it which was great. 22 Summer 2023 ITF World

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