Shingo Kunieda, from overcoming life's blows to being a legend in adapted tennis and retiring revered by Federer and Djokovic

A golden era in wheelchair tennis history is over.

, the player who marked a before and after in that sport,

retired .

The Japanese tired of lifting trophies on the ITF professional tour and breaking records, he was the great dominator for a good part of his 21 years on that circuit and spent more time at the top of the world rankings than any other player.

He was also the great rival and partner of

from Córdoba , whom he won three Grand Slam finals in singles and with whom he shouted doubles champion at

2019 and

2022. Last Sunday he hung up the racket at the age of 38 , with number one in his possession.

"I made the decision to retire,"

he wrote in a letter that he published on his social networks, just two days after the start of the competition in his discipline at the

, a tournament that he won 19 times, eleven individually and another eight in partner.

"17 years have passed since I became number one in the rankings, please forgive me for retiring while I'm in that position (

)," he commented, jokingly.

If in traditional tennis there is still a debate about who is the best player in history, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic;

in adapted tennis, there is no doubt.

(acronym in English that identifies the Best of All Time).

And it is enough to review his records to prove it.

The Japanese won 28 Grand Slam singles titles, six more than

has , who holds the all-time record on the ATP circuit.

In addition to the eleven he won in Australia (2007-2011, 2013-2015, 2018, 2020 and 2022), he has eight Roland Garros in his showcases (2007-2010, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2022), the same number of

(2007, 2009-2011, 2014, 2015, 2020 and 2021) and one from Wimbledon (2022). 

That only consecration in the

 was desired and marked a myth in his career.

It made him the first wheelchair player to hold all four "big" crowns at the same time, having celebrated in New York in 2021 and swept the first three big dates last year.

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A post shared by Shingo Kunieda (@shingokunieda)

Likewise, he was the first to complete the

, since he owns three individual Paralympic gold medals, which he won in

,

and

. 

The Asian also shouted champion 22 times in doubles in Majors, for a total of 50 crowns, a record for adapted tennis.

In total, he won 117 singles titles and 83 couples.

And he spent

, which he first reached in October 2006.

, who has held the top of the ATP rankings for the longest, has spent 373 weeks in that position. 

"I've been thinking about retirement ever since I made my dream come true at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo last year. When I won Wimbledon for the first time, I realized I didn't have much energy left to keep competing. And when I captured my 10th world title (

), I felt that I had done enough and I believed that it was the right moment to retire", he said in the text that he shared on Instagram, in which he thanked his sponsors, the coaches who accompanied him from the beginning, his wife and his rivals and fellow travelers.

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A post shared by Gustavo Fernandez (@gustifernandez4)

One of the first to echo the news was, precisely,

Fernández.

"It was a pleasure, an honor and a privilege to see you as a boy, to learn from you, the enormous number of battles against and the beautiful moments shared in doubles," wrote the Cordovan, who lost to the Japanese in the

finals .

and

and won the British Major in 2019.

"The best and most influential wheelchair tennis player of all time, without a doubt. You set the path for us on how this sport would get to where it did. The best in what comes next, my friend. The Fernández family wishes you all the Happiness in the world to you and your family. I hope the road crosses us to continue sharing moments outside of tennis. Good life, GOAT", closed the Argentine.

Shortly after came the greeting of the enormous

, with whom the Japanese shared in recent years some exhibitions organized by

, sponsor of both.

Federer's greeting to Kunieda.

Photo Instagram @rogerfederer

"What an incredible career. It has been a privilege to watch you play and leave such an incredible mark on wheelchair tennis. Welcome to the club of retirees," wrote the Swiss, from one racquet titan to another.  

A life on the courts

Kunieda discovered adaptive tennis at age 11, two years after he was diagnosed with a spinal tumor that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Encouraged by his mother, he started playing at the Kashiwa Training Center, located just 30 minutes from his home in Chiba.

And he fell in love with a sport to which he ended up dedicating his life.

He was barely 17 when he made his debut on the professional circuit in 2001, the season in which he won his first title, in the

, held in his country.

It was the kickoff of an extraordinary career.

Kunieda began playing adapted tennis at the age of 11, after being diagnosed with a spinal tumor.

ITF photo

His first great success came in 2004, when he won the gold medal in doubles at the

together with his compatriot

.

Today, he is the only player in history to win medals in five consecutive Paralympic events, since in addition to his four golds, he also won bronzes in doubles in 2008 and 2016.

His first shout of champion in a Major came, also together with Saida, in the doubles at Wimbledon 2006. And the following year he made history by winning the three singles titles in that category available at that time, in Melbourne, Paris and New York. .

She repeated that feat in 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2015, before the English "great" added the men's wheelchair singles draws in 2016.

In his two decades as a professional, the Japanese enjoyed several historic streaks.

Between the 2007 Australian Open and the 2011 Australian Open, he won 12 consecutive Grand Slam titles.

His longest reign at the top of the ranking spanned from January 2007 to December 2011. He was crowned champion of the Masters -the equivalent of the ATP Finals- consecutively between 2012 (he also won the doubles) and 2014 .

Kunieda, Paralympic champion in Tokyo.

Photo Instagram @shingokunieda

He was undefeated for three years, in which he accumulated 106 consecutive victories.

That streak began after his loss in the group stage of the 2007 Masters against

and ended with his defeat in the semifinals of the 2010 edition of the same event, also against the Frenchman.

In 2016, a right elbow injury, which forced him to undergo surgery, threatened to end his career much sooner than desired.

But, although he needed a couple of seasons to return to his best level after the stoppage forced by the operation, he returned with everything and in 2018, he shone again in the most important categories.

Last year, at the age of 37, he had the pleasure of playing in the finals of the "big" four.

He beat out

in Melbourne and London and Fernandez in Paris.

The defeat against the British in New York deprived him of conquering the calendar Grand Slam.

Last year, Kunieda beat Fernández in the Roland Garros final.

Photo Thomas SAMSON / AFP

The impact of the Japanese in his discipline, likewise, went far beyond statistics, titles and records.

He himself recognized it in his farewell letter.

"During the 20 years of my career, I have noticed many improvements in wheelchair tennis," said the person who, with his charisma and sympathy, his commitment to the sport and his talent, was largely responsible for that growth.

A living legend of the sport, Kunieda marked an era in adapted tennis and earned a place among the world's greatest racket players.