Wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett believes he has the “weapons, heart and mentality” to win Wimbledon and complete a clean sweep of grand slam singles titles.
The individual championship at the All England Club is the only notable gap on the glittering CV of the 25-year-old, who on Wednesday afternoon begins his campaign against Belgium’s Joachim Gerard.
Hewett feels his grass-court game is in the best shape ever and is confident it is only a matter of time until he lifts the elusive trophy.
“I don’t want to be overconfident but I don’t want to sell myself short,” he said.
“There’s a title to be won and I believe I’ve got the weapons, heart and mentality to be able to do that.
“It’s an absolute dream to become a champion here and obviously with it being the one that I haven’t won here it’s an even bigger dream.
“I will try and use that as motivation, channel it in a good way and whatever happens – whether it’s this year, next year, a few years – I back myself and believe I can do it.”
Hewett won the Australian Open in January to add to a trio of singles titles at both the US Open and the French Open.
He suffered an agonising loss to Japanese top seed Shingo Kunieda, who has since retired, in last year’s SW19 final but thinks that disappointment has strengthened his resolve.
“I don’t know how many hours of tennis I had played that week, I probably had five, 10 per cent left in the tank,” he said.
“I played against an absolute legend of the sport who was also desperate and hungry to win his very first Wimbledon title.
“I pushed him all the way to the very end and it came down to a few points. It was a turning point for me in my career in how I deal with things on the court and my mentality.”
In addition to his individual achievements, Hewett has also lifted 17 grand slam doubles titles alongside long-term partner Gordon Reid.
Those triumphs include each of the majors and four Wimbledon successes.
Scotsman Reid, who begins against Argentinian Gustavo Fernandez in the singles and will again team up with Hewett in the doubles, feels wheelchair tennis is no longer a “secondary thought”.
“The more the people are aware of it, the spectators and also the organisers and the tournament directors here, they’re more active in pushing it,” said the 31-year-old, who won the Wimbledon singles title in 2016.
“I think they see the value in it now whereas before it was maybe we were just a secondary thought.
“It’s now, the ‘wheelchair game adds something to the event’ and that’s good for them and also good for us.
“It’s the best week of the year really for us. At the end of the day, sport is entertainment and if we can be entertaining the profile will rise.”
