“Paris is a special place for me”

For Tokito Oda, Paris holds a special place in his heart. He was named after the Arc de Triomphe, the iconic monument in the heart of the city, and he also won two of his four wheelchair tennis Grand Slam titles at the French Open.

The 18-year-old believes it is fate that he is making his Paralympic debut in Paris.

“This is a special place for me, and there’s no guarantee that there would be another Paralympics in Paris while I’m alive. I’ve been playing with a mindset that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to play at the Games in Paris,” he said.

Ahead of the wheelchair tennis singles tournament, Oda posted on Instagram a photo of him making a wish in front of the Arc de Triomphe, with the word “Dreamer”. On 1 September, he advanced to the third round of the men’s singles tournament by beating Great Britain’s Ben Bartram in straight sets.

“To come back to Roland Garros is very special for me because in the last two years, I didn’t lose a match (at the French Open). “I want to do it again,” he said.

“I think these Games will be a turning point in my life. The Games will be an opportunity for me to drastically change my life. “I don’t know how, but I’m sure.”

Impossible? That’s nothing

But in fact, the Paralympic Games have already changed their life – drastically.

He was diagnosed with bone cancer when he was nine and underwent treatment and surgery. While he was staying at a hospital, he watched a video of wheelchair tennis legend Shingo Kunieda play in the men’s singles final at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

“I used to play soccer when I was young and I started using a wheelchair when I was six. That’s a really big thing as a kid, but I saw Para sport and then I got a dream. “That was really important for me, for my life.”

“When I was in the hospital, I watched a few sports – wheelchair tennis, basketball and something else. And I picked wheelchair tennis, because we have Shingo Kunieda from the same country,” Oda said. “I watched a video of him playing and I decided to play wheelchair tennis.”

Since taking up the sport, the teenager has accomplished much more than most of his peers. When he was 14 years old, Oda became the youngest ever boys’ world No. 1 in the junior wheelchair tennis rankings.

Three years later, he won his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. He then became the youngest athlete to become world No. 1 in the wheelchair tennis singles rankings. With three more Grand Slam titles, he is now a household name in Japan.

“I really enjoy playing wheelchair tennis with a chair and a racquet. Normally (in tennis), we only have racquets when standing. Playing sports in a chair is really difficult but also it’s really fun,” Oda said. “That’s what is the most important for me.”

The lucky place

Oda, who has been dubbed by media as Kunieda’s successor, says his biggest challenge since starting wheelchair tennis is “these Paralympics.”

But he has been his own “biggest supporter” all along, and he knows that Paris is his lucky place. At this year’s French Open, he won without dropping a single set on the iconic red clay courts.

“I have many lucky things here. My name is Tokito and my kanji (Japanese character) was taken from the Arc de Triomphe. So, I have inspiration from Paris. “This time, it’s so special for me.”

“I think my biggest supporter is myself because I’ve decided everything by myself. Also my parents are supportive, but I chose almost everything – to play in this sport and where to go. “Everything I chose by myself, and I think that is very important to live my own life.”

For the kids

Just like how Kunieda was his role model going into Para sports, Oda hopes that more kids will get to learn about the sport and have the opportunity to play at tournaments. That is why he helped organize a junior wheelchair tennis draw at an international tournament in his hometown.

“To kids who have started playing wheelchair tennis, I want to share with them what I’ve experienced on the international stage. And to those who haven’t started, I want to open a door for them to become interested.

“For me, the Paralympic Games are one of my biggest chance to change my life and to change the lives of other people who are watching my match. Hopefully they will start playing tennis and wheelchair tennis too,” Oda said.

“I want to show my tennis to many people.”