Hewett aiming to surpass Rio’s silver linings in Tokyo

Ask Alfie Hewett if he has imagined himself on the podium at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, and the men’s wheelchair world No. 2 admits: “I probably do it unhealthily, the amount of times…”

Five years have passed since the 23-year-old made his Paralympic debut as a fresh-faced teenager at Rio 2016, surging to the gold medal matches in both singles and doubles and claiming a silver from each of them.

It was a watershed moment in the Briton’s tennis career – one that not only announced him on the global sporting stage, but also provided another source of motivation to drive him to the top of the men’s game.

“Rio was an unbelievable two weeks for me,” Hewett reflects. “I never imagined or even dreamed of getting two silver medals at my first Paralympics. However, it could be better – with two silvers, there’s always room for improvement, and that’s my ambition going into Tokyo.”

Hewett lost the Rio 2016 singles final against doubles partner and compatriot, Gordon Reid, the duo claiming silver together as French pair Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer won gold.

Back then, he arrived at the Games as an 18-year-old, seeded No. 13 and having just made his Grand Slam singles debut. Five years on, Hewett is a five-time singles major winner, and lands Tokyo with back-to-back Roland Garros titles in the past 12 months having reached four of the last five Grand Slam finals.

In doubles, he and Reid have fared even better. The duo are unbeaten in their last seven Grand Slams dating back to the 2019 US Open, and rank among the players still in contention for a calendar golden slam with victory in Tokyo and the US Open a week later.

Hewett makes no secret of the role his Rio silvers have played over the past five years, the sting of twice missing out on gold only serving to help him hone his game in pursuit of a spot on the top step in Tokyo.

“I remember coming off the singles or doubles having lost the match, having been beaten, then being on that podium expecting to feel like, ‘Yay, I’ve got a silver’ – but in the moment, for me, it kind of meant nothing,” he admits. “I just wanted to throw it away. I’d lost. It was horrible.

“Of course, then everything settles, and I realised what I’d done, realised how amazing that achievement was. But ever since that final, I’ve just been fully focused on the next one.”

With wins over each of his major singles rivals already this season, Hewett expects to earn himself the chance to go one win further this time around, while there is no escaping the tag of favourites for doubles gold with Reid given their unstoppable form.

But there’s more to being a Paralympian than glory for Hewett, something that goes to his core as an athlete.

“The Paralympics are special – obviously it’s the pinnacle of the Paralympic Movement, and for wheelchair tennis it’s a huge event to be a part of,” Hewett said. “People work for four years for this – it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s incredible.

“To even get there and compete is an incredible achievement. It’s something that really motivates me, and gives me a purpose, day in, day out.”