Japan's dominance in wheelchair tennis is on the rise, with young stars Yui Kamiji and Tokito Oda leading the charge.
When Yui Kamiji first picked up a racquet, it was because she wanted to play with her sister. During a hit with her sister, she saw someone on a nearby court playing from a wheelchair. 'It was really fun to enjoy with my sister. I didn't want to play any tournaments … I couldn't believe my life has changed like that.
' The pinnacle of her career came last year at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, where she defeated long-time rival and 23-grand slam champion Deide de Groot to win the gold medal for Japan. 'I couldn't move… I was crying and so emotional,' she said. Yui Kamiji of Japan celebrates winning match point against Diede de Groot in the gold medal match last year. The Paralympics was also an emotional moment for her compatriot, Tokito Oda, the teen sensation who has won all four grand slams and a gold medal. In Paris he removed the wheels from his chair and collapsed on his back on the French clay, basking in the win.Tokito Oda became the youngest player to win a career grand slam and the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.Both Kamiji and Oda are world number one in their sport, and they have their sights set on the Australian Open title after triumphing in their semifinals yesterday. The Dutch have long dominated the wheelchair tennis arena, but Japan has also emerged as a formidable force. 'We are not having a long history, but we have many histories,' Kamiji said, adding a key to Japan's success was in the trailblazing wheelchair tennis legend Shingo Kunieda. 'He showed us dream and how to improve not just as a player, but as a person. Now everyone wants to try wheelchair tennis,' Kamiji said. Kunieda was an inspiration for Oda too; when Oda underwent surgery for bone cancer at the age of nine, he watched a video in hospital of Kunieda winning the London 2012 Paralympic gold medal match. British sports scientist Vicky Tolfrey said having a great role model can infuse enthusiasm and lead to a country's broader success in the sport, which was also the case in The Netherlands. 'Players like Shingo Kunieda, widely considered one of the greatest wheelchair tennis players of all time, have inspired a new generation of players,' she told the ABC. 'I suspect that he has inspired young athletes (like Oda) and you now see great sponsorships and media coverage, further promoting the sport.'But Tolfrey, a professor of Applied Disability and Para Sport at Loughborough University in the UK, said there were other elements to Japan's success. 'Japan's dominance in wheelchair tennis can be attributed to a combination of cultural, structural, and individual factors,' she said. She said there is strong institutional support for para sports more broadly, and that the Japan Wheelchair Tennis Association has played a crucial role in nurturing talent from the grassroots level. 'I have visited the spinal cord injury rehabilitation centres in Japan and staff work hard, I suspect that the dedication and discipline also aligns well with the demands of professional sports,' she said. 'Wheelchair tennis is a highly skilled sport — as you must coordinate wheelchair propulsion while holding a tennis racket — fine tuning the handrim-propulsion-user interaction. 'Most importantly, an area that I work in is wheelchair ergonomics and Japan's expertise in technology and engineering has also played a role in creating advanced, lightweight, and customised wheelchairs for athletes, providing them with a competitive edge.' She said Japan had made 'significant strides in promoting inclusivity and accessibility in sports, ensuring that athletes with disabilities have opportunities to train and compete'.Oda was dominant in his 6-1, 6-1 victory over Martin De la Puente, circling like a shark as he awaited the Spaniard's serve. He cast a mesmerising figure eight with his wheels before ripping forehand winners crosscourt and backhands heavy with topspin. Racing to a short ball, he put it away with a precise backhand slice that was too good for De la Puente. World number one Yui Kamiji is in the finals of the women's wheelchair tennis division at the Australian Open.She was down a break in the first set, but eyeing a 'little revenge', she took away Li's rhythm to secure a 6-4, 6-1 victory. Tomorrow they will face off against the world number twos in wheelchair tennis; Oda against Britain's Alfie Hewett in a rematch of last year's final and Kamiji against Aniek Van Koot of The Netherlands, a rematch of their 2020 showdown
Wheelchair Tennis Japan Paralympics Shingo Kunieda Yui Kamiji Tokito Oda Australian Open
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