Wheelchair ace Alfie Hewett: "We let people with disabilities dream"
As part of the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Munich, there will also be an event for wheelchair users for the first time this year. The number one in the world will be there: Alfie Hewett from Great Britain.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Apr 29, 2022, 08:31 pm
Rotterdam. The London Queen's Club. Munich. This is the list of those ATP locations trying to include wheelchair competitions in their program. This will be the case for the first time in 2022 at the MTTC Iphitos in the Bavarian capital, and the initiative was rewarded with the arrival of world number one Alfie Hewett. The Briton reached the final at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, and the 24-year-old already has five majors on his credit side.
The game has been significantly more aggressive in recent years, Hewett said at a press conference on Friday alongside tournament director and German national coach Niklas Höfken. According to the rules, it is still allowed to tap the ball twice. However, the new generation of players is no longer just waiting for the opponent to make a mistake. No: You have to take the initiative, take the balls as early as possible. In Munich this is not so easy due to the altitude. Hewett first had to get used to the conditions. Although he trained on sand in London, the high ball bounce here is not without it.
Roland Garros for the first time with twelve wheelchair players
A total of eight wheelchair players serve in Munich, which is the same number as in Grand Slam tournaments. In Roland Garros in a few weeks there will be twelve for the first time, for Alfie Hewett and Niklas Höfken a step in the right direction. Because the restriction to only eight athletes makes it almost impossible for the following players to break into this circle. After all, the same applies to wheelchair players as to “pedestrians” (quote from Höfken): most points are awarded in the majors.
Hewett has already won three titles in Paris, plus two at the US Open. In Wimbledon it has only been enough for the semifinals so far. Appearances on the sacred turf are always very special affairs. Because his example shows that you can make it all the way to the top: "We let people with disabilities dream." Alfie Hewett himself first realized at the age of 14 that he was capable of great victories. Since then, with hard work, he has made it to world number one.