Alfie Hewett - "Sport really helps mental health as much as physical health"
Alfie Hewett burst onto the Grand Slam stage as a teenager and since then has gone on to dominate it. Especially in doubles where with fellow Brit Gordon Reid they’ve become the partnership to beat in the men’s open division.
But for Hewett playing and being involved in tennis is about more than winning titles and when looking back to his early experiences at the grassroots level he is clear about what had him coming back for more sporting action on court every week.
“When I was young I had the opportunity to try lots of sports - archery, swimming, table tennis you name it I did it...
"... That’s the thing that should be most important about grassroots sport, there should be opportunities and accessibility for anyone to try anything, there should be no barriers in this world to that."
“Sport really helps mental health as much as physical health,” he said. “I can’t speak highly enough about the effects and impact it can have.
"Sport was a great part of my coping when it came to transitioning from being on my feet to using a chair more often."
“On top of that I made some great friends along the way and grew in confidence because of it.”
"And that’s always the message I try to deliver when people ask me about my journey because when I first started playing it was for those reasons.”
There are a wide range of opportunities to try adaptive and wheelchair tennis in your local area, follow these links to find out more:
Every Body Moves - inclusive activity finder
Lawn Tennis Association - Disability tennis page