World No. 1 Tokito Oda has reclaimed the men’s wheelchair singles title at Wimbledon. Following his victory, Oda is now setting his sights on the US Open and a potential career Golden Slam.
Oda overcame defending champion Alfie Hewett of Great Britain with scores of 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 to secure his sixth Grand Slam singles title. The match reminded many of their gold-medal face-off at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event.
For those unfamiliar, a career Golden Slam includes victories at all four Grand Slams—Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open—along with a Paralympic Games gold medal. Oda has already claimed titles at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon and holds a Paralympic gold medal. A win at the US Open would complete his collection.
Should he achieve this feat in September at Flushing Meadows, the 19-year-old will join an elite group alongside Dylan Alcott, Diede de Groot, and Shingo Kunieda as one of only four players to achieve a career Golden Slam in wheelchair tennis singles.
“I’m already looking forward to the US Open,” Oda said to itftennis.com. “Winning the US Open was my goal this year.”
Hewett narrowly missed out on achieving a career Golden Slam but completed a career Grand Slam with his Wimbledon win in 2024. Despite losing his SW19 crown, Hewett played an essential role in what Oda described as “the best match I’ve ever played.”
“The Paralympic Games was special…today was the best match for us,” added Oda after reflecting on their competition.
After celebrating passionately but forgetting his trademark guitar celebration, Oda plans to enjoy some Japanese cuisine as part of his victory celebration.