Who is Alfie Hewett? Interview with the tennis star nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award

Kevin Palmer
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Alfie Hewett Australian Open champion

When Alfie Hewett started out on his tennis journey, he never imagined the story that lay ahead.

Interest in wheelchair tennis was modest when Hewett emerged as the shining star of the game, but that story has changed dramatically over the past decade.

With Hewett’s matches taking centre stage in front of huge crowds on No.1 Court at Wimbledon during The Championships over the last couple of years, the wheelchair game has been propelled to heights that have pushed Hewett to global stardom.

World No 1 wheelchair tennis player Hewett this year was singles champion at both the Australian Open and US Open and runner-up in the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments, while in doubles, he claimed three out of the grand slam titles alongside Gordon Reid. The 26-year-old also helped Great Britain win the World Team Cup.

Now he has been nominated for the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year award and he sat down with Tennis365 for an exclusive interview at a Play Your Way To Wimbledon event.

HOW DO YOU REFLECT ON THE GROWTH OF WHEELCHAIR TENNIS?

It’s in a very different place compared to where it was when I started. In the last three to four years, we have seen the biggest growth in terms of publicity and profile of the wheelchair game. I feel like we have been given more opportunities in terms of the court we are playing on and also from a media perspective. It’s so important to have that limelight and exposure and the impact it can have of seeing me playing at Wimbledon in a wheelchair can be massive for people who may not have thought of playing this sport. I’ve spoken to a lot of people who have seen my Wimbledon matches on TV and decided to give tennis a go, which is fantastic to see.

WHAT WERE YOUR AMBITIONS WHEN YOU STARTED?

It wasn’t to become a Grand Slam champion or anything that huge. I just wanted to get back involved with sport and it has given me an amazing career. When you are at these big tournaments alongside the able-bodied players, you get to know them on a personal level and it does so much for the sport when they speak about what we do and how much they enjoy watching us. We are trying to create as many opportunities as possible and the people running tennis have opened doors for us.

READ MORE: Alfie Hewett on inspiring disabled people to take up tennis – ‘It’s a rewarding feeling’

YOU HAVE PLAYED MATCHES ON No.1 COURT AT WIMBLEDON – DO YOU WANT TO BE ON CENTRE COURT NEXT YEAR?

I’m happy that we are on No.1 Court, so I’m not going to complain. A few years ago we were scrapping to get onto outside courts and we are making a lot of progress. I don’t want to put pressure on Wimbledon to give us a chance to play on Centre Court because we’ve had great crowds on No.1 Court and it has been huge for us to reach out to a wider audience and raise the profile of our sport. That’s why I train so hard and why I play tennis. Maybe one day we will be on Centre Court and that would be a dream, but we are grateful for the opportunities coming our way.

THE WIMBLEDON SINGLES TITLE IS THE ONE GRAND SLAM YOU HAVE YET TO WIN. IS THAT THE GOAL FOR 2024?

Of course I think about it. Only about ten times a day! It is a goal of mine and everyone knows I want to win it. I have been so close to winning it and I’ve got to take the confidence and belief that I have built up on grass to try and get over the line. The focus is to make sure you are fit and ready when Wimbledon comes around.

– Play Your Way to Wimbledon, Powered by Vodafone, is the UK’s largest grassroots tennis competition and is delivered in partnership with the LTA, the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club and Vodafone.