The men's singles final of wheelchair tennis at the Tokyo Paralympics held on the 4th of this month.

Shingo Kunieda (37) held his eyes with a dry blister and hardened palm immediately after the opponent's shot hit the net and the gold medal was decided for the first time in two tournaments.

I was hugged by the staff and tears.

I crouched in the Hinomaru and shed tears again.

It was a figure that raised emotions different from the usual calmness.

After the awards ceremony, Kunieda expressed a surprising feeling.


"I thought it would be impossible to win a gold medal this time." The


leading figure, who also served as captain of the Japanese team, was struggling unknowingly.

The anguish hidden in my chest

The day after the battle was over, Kunieda responded to an independent interview with NHK.

During the tournament, he said, "I don't feel tired at all. I think I'm rejuvenated."


"I thought it was impossible to get a gold medal," he said slowly when asked why he gave it right after the match.

Kunieda:


"I was honest that I wasn't able to maximize my performance since I won the US Open last September. I can't say where it is, but that added to the pressure. In terms of technique, there was pressure that the Paralympics were approaching after losing at the Australian Open in February, and I was wondering if I shouldn't stay like this. I've been sleeping lightly since about March. "

In 2020, when the Paralympics were supposed to be held, Kunieda won the Australian Open held from January to February, and the finish was so perfect that he was proud to say that he was "the strongest in his history."

However, immediately after that, it was decided to postpone the tournament for one year.


For Kunieda in his late 30s, it was not easy to refocus and maintain his physical condition.

When I entered this year, my body wasn't in good condition and I couldn't hit the shot I wanted.

Anxiety about "body" and "skill" cast a shadow on "mind", and I couldn't sleep for a long time.

Sometimes I relied on sleeping pills or lay down on the bed and tried to rest on my own.


As the big stage approached every moment, the French Open in June was runner-up, and the Wimbledon Championship in July was defeated in the first round.

Kunieda


"I changed something every time I lost, and the thread got entangled and I couldn't figure out what was the correct answer. This time, even if I tried to untie the entwined thread and put it back, I couldn't remember my body. When I was at Wimbledon, I was under pressure with only one month left. I looked back at all the old videos and notes on a daily basis. In my tennis experience, I've never gone back so many years. I kept wondering if there was any hint. It was a fight against time. "

5 years of experience from frustration

After struggling, the light finally came in just a week before the Paralympics.

Kunieda:


"At the end, both I and the coach decided to'get angry with each other and do this with any result.' The



biggest thing was the demodulation of the backhand, which is synonymous with Kunieda and can be said to be the lifeline of assembling the attack.


After discussing with coach Ryo Iwami, who has been coaching since 2018, he decided to abandon all the efforts he had made in the past year and return to the backhand style of last year in the last month.

It was a sudden fix, but I managed to get it into shape a week before the tournament.

The physical condition that has continued since last year has gradually improved with the devoted support of the trainer Kazuki Kitajima.

Why was Kunieda able to find a way out of the predicament where he didn't have time to go to the tournament?


Five years ago, Kunieda suffered the humiliation of losing the best eight due to an elbow injury and the rise of young people at the Rio de Janeiro tournament, which took three consecutive victories.

After that, he thought about retiring at one point, but he said, "I want to prove that I can still beat the younger players if they are in perfect condition."


It is said that the experience of the last five years, who surrendered the throne and continued to run toward the top again as a challenger, saved himself.



Kunieda


"I had a lot of experience of frustration in Rio. After I started again as a challenger, I reaffirmed the joy of playing without any injuries. I can move forward, and if I move forward, I can take on more challenges. ”That idea led to today.”

<Toward the future of "I want to be enthusiastic" parasports>

Pressure, anxiety.

Kunieda who got over them was strong.


In the quarter-finals, 50-year-old Ude, who has been competing for the top of the world for 15 years, was defeated after a fierce battle of 2 hours and 18 minutes.


In the semi-finals, Kunieda did not attract the lead player of the Rio de Janeiro tournament gold medalist because of the content of his conscience, which he recalled as "the best tennis of the year".

The final against Fubelink, who ranked 8th in the world ranking, was a match with net dash, quick chair work, backhand down-the-line that regained the sense just before the tournament, and Kunieda's withdrawal.

"I want to stick to the appeal of the Paralympics as a sport. By doing so, people will change their way of thinking and think," Even people with disabilities can do this much, "or" Wow, it's amazing. " That's the most ideal thing to do without such words as symbiotic society and diversity. I want the world to become a Paralympic that makes the world simpler and more enjoyable



. " Kunieda has repeatedly said, "I want to make you enthusiastic."

The tennis and tears shown at the Tokyo Games are a condensed version of Kunieda's mission to convey the appeal of the competition through play since he made his professional declaration in 2009.