Fearless Oda humbled by Hewett's complimentary words
Tokito Oda is still only 18 years old. He has four Grand Slam singles titles to his name and last year he won the men’s singles at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event. All in, he has 32 titles in his locker.
It is some achievement but the magnitude of what Oda has achieved to date is better seen perhaps through his aura.
On Wednesday at Melbourne Park, about 30 minutes after he had seen off his compatriot Takashi Sanada 6-1 6-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open men's singles, he appeared on the broadcast terrace for his post-match media chat.
It was heaving across the board, there were three or four players giving interviews but the mass attention was on the softly spoken and polite Oda.
He looks a star and is now a known face in Japan.
“Yeah, I get recognised,” he said, the morning TV news in Japan featuring him constantly during Paris 2024.
“I really like it and there are many Japanese people here in Melbourne, so I always have fun with it.”
One man who you might not expect to be overly enamoured with Oda is Great Britain’s Alfie Hewett, who until very recently was the No. 1-ranked men’s player on the planet.
Oda has taken the place of Hewett at the summit of the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour Rankings, and defeated his rival in a pulsating showdown in the men’s singles final at the Paralympic Games.
However, Hewett could not have been more complimentary about Oda this week, describing him as fearless and a man whom he already takes inspiration from.
“Alfie said that?” Oda asked when told of the compliment and his appreciation. He smiled for a good while.
“I didn’t know he gets inspired by me, I also get inspiration from him,” said Oda. “I am very happy with what he is saying.”
Another positive for Oda comes with the fact that the Australian Open is hosting a debut junior wheelchair singles (boys and girls) tournament this year.
“I wish I could play both,” he said immediately.
“A few years ago, you started up with nothing, now prize money is going up, the draw size is getting bigger and now we have the juniors. So, it’s on the way.”
Defending quad champion Sam Schröder of Netherlands, seeking his fourth successive singles title in Melbourne, is also in no doubt as to the significance of the Australian Open’s new junior wheelchair tournament.
“I think it's great,” he said. “It’s a good step to have now and it’s something hopefully that will motivate players to be able to play the Grand Slam. It gives players an incentive to play more tournaments.
“It’s very expensive to come to Australia of course, so it makes it difficult for the lower-ranked players to come here and it’s a good step to take now and hopefully they will push the bottom up.
“It motivates juniors to play more tournaments and get more experience.”
A full list of results from the 2025 Australian Open Wheelchair Championships is available here