Wheelchair tennis Kunieda confidence to reclaim gold medal `` now is the strongest '' January 4 13:53
Shingo Kunieda, the ace of wheelchair tennis, is confident that he will regain his gold medal for the first time in two tournaments, saying, "I am the strongest in my career history" for the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
The 35-year-old Kunieda is a male single in wheelchair tennis and has won the Paralympic Games in Beijing and London for the second time in a row.
I have been staying at the National Training Center in Tokyo since the middle of last month and have been practicing. I have honed the skills that I have strengthened in the last four years since I lost in the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, including backhand banging and net play.
On 3rd of this month, I attended an event to celebrate the New Year held by the tennis club in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, which is my usual practice base. I vowed for one year.
Kunieda said, "I want to be able to greet me with a gold medal this time around next year. I could almost clear the technical issues by 2020. After that, how much I will improve in the fine adjustment I'm the strongest in my career history now. "
Wheelchair tennis expected to win medals in all 5 events
In wheelchair tennis in Japan, medals are expected to be won in all five events held at the Tokyo Paralympics, led by Shingo Kunieda.
For women's singles, Yui Uechi, the world's second-largest bronze medalist at the Rio de Janeiro tournament, has been decided to be the representative of the Tokyo Paralympics, as is Kunieda.
The second Paralympic Games aims for a gold medal.
25-year-old Uechi, who has agile chairwork and tenacity, is currently playing last year to compete with the world's No. 1 rival, Deide DeFloat of the Netherlands, for power tennis. Is actively adopted.
In men's doubles and women's doubles, a pair centered on Kunieda and Uechi, respectively, aims to win medals.
In addition, quads, which are run by athletes with disabilities not only on both legs but also on arms, have been held since the 2004 Athens Games in the Paralympics and are the 5th in the Tokyo Games.
Koji Kanno, 38, who is fourth in the world rankings and is 38 years old, has steadily strengthened his role as a Japanese player for the first time in the four majors in this event of the French Open last year.
In Tokyo, which will be the first entry to the Paralympics, we will aim for the first Japanese medal in this event.
The representatives of the Tokyo Paralympic Games for Wheelchair Tennis will be determined by the world rankings announced on June 8th.
In addition to Kunieda and Uechi, who have already been decided to be represented by men's singles and women's singles from Japan, the maximum is three each.
Up to three people can participate in the quad.
As part of strengthening the national team, the Japan Wheelchair Tennis Association will hold a training camp with top players in Australia starting this month, and are considering holding a similar training camp before the Paralympic Games.