Grand Slam legend Alfie Hewett reveals ‘best and worst thing’ about his new rivalry
Alfie Hewett has been the shining star of wheelchair tennis over the last few years, but the 30-time Grand Slam champion now has a new young gun eager to knock him off his perch.
Japan’s Tokito Oda has taken the wheelchair tennis world by storm, with the 18-year-old claiming four Grand Slam singles titles over the last couple of years.
He then beat Hewett in a thrilling Paralympic Games singles final in Paris last September, with Hewett telling Tennis365 that Oda is forcing him to raise his game as he looked ahead to his next challenges.
Despite the threat from Oda, Hewett has enjoyed a sensational 2024 that saw him win the elusive Wimbledon singles title that was missing from his sparkling record and he then added the Paralympic gold medal he craced with Gordon Reid after the duo narrowly missed out on the big prize at the 2016 and 2020 Games.
Lexus ambassador Hewett sat down for an extended interview with Tennis365 at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in London as we reflected on his story so far and what comes next:
How do you reflect on your achievements in 2024?
Alfie Hewett: “It’s only really been the last four or five weeks that it has sunk in what I achieved this year. There was such a short turnaround after Wimbledon to the Paralympics that I don’t think I allowed myself to realise what that meant. Then after the Games in Paris, I had some time at home and that’s when I had some time to think about what comes next. I am still highly motivated and want to achieve so much more in the sport. I have no intention of hanging up my rackets just because I’ve won all the majors. I want to keep pushing those numbers, even though I’m not obsessed with the numbers.
You have now achieved it all in the sport – what comes next?
Alfie Hewett: “I want to improve as a tennis player, spread my story and keep pushing the trajectory I feel I am on with disabled sport and giving more people opportunities to play. That can be tennis or any disability sport. I’ve had many humbling experiences in the last couple of years where youngsters have come to me looking for opportunities and to see them thriving in wheelchair tennis. We have had a lot of youngsters coming through who have looked up to Gordon and me over the last few years and that’s what it’s all about. Leaving a legacy with my career is not just about being successful on the tennis court. I also want to enjoy the success I am having. The tennis journey can be mentally brutal at times and I want to make sure I appreciate the good moments like Wimbledon and Paralympic gold.”
Do you welcome the challenge being presented by Tokito Oda?
Alfie Hewett: “Having Tokito around is the best and worst thing. At times I wish he wasn’t across the net from me and this is a generational thing. In five or six years’ time, he may be sitting in my shoes looking at someone coming up who he feels threatened by. He has proven himself on several occasions to be an extremely tough opponent. He is pushing everyone to get better, not just me. The bar has been raised by him. I feel like I’m matching that and even though I’ve missed out on a few big matches, I’ll work to get better. He is an all-or-nothing player and that’s different to where the sport has been in recent years. We all have to learn to serve better, attack the ball better, to be faster and stronger. It’s great for our sport that we have a young player who is pushing us all to improve and we will have a great rivalry over the next few years.”
