EXCLUSIVE: Tennis ace Alfie Hewett needs to make BBC SPOTY historical past

If Alfie Hewett provides one other trophy to his ever-growing assortment on Tuesday night time, he is not going to be the one member of his household with one thing to have a good time.

‘My dad would be very happy because he actually put down a bet before I found out I was on the shortlist!’ reveals the wheelchair tennis star, one among six nominees for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

‘We were talking about it about a month before I found out. Because I’d had 12 months, I simply questioned if I’d be into account. He was like, “Let’s have a look on the betting”, and I used to be about 100-1.

‘I didn’t know he was going do it but he stuck £20 down and my step mum stuck about £10 down. If I win it, they get a combined £4,500 or something like that. He’s going to be voting like mad on the night time!’

Anthony Hewett solely wants his son to complete within the high three to get a pay-out from his each-way wager. But simply two para athletes have ever achieved that in SPOTY’s 70-year historical past – wheelchair racer Tanni Grey-Thompson in 2000 and amputee sprinter Jonnie Peacock in 2017. They each completed third, that means there has by no means been a winner from a incapacity sport.

Alfie Hewett is on one among six nominees for BBC Sports Personality of the Year

Hewett was not too long ago made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle

‘It’s nice to see para athletes being nominated, however wouldn’t or not it’s even better to see somebody win it for the primary time?’ asks world No1 Hewett, who lifted 5 Grand Slam trophies this 12 months – two singles and three doubles. ‘It would just really promote that inclusion and help change that perception that disability sport has had in the past.

‘I’ve experienced a lot of negative stigmas and stereotypes along my journey. So when I found out I was on the shortlist, my jaw hit the floor. It’s mind-blowing and I really feel like a little bit of an imposter.

‘But I do also feel like it’s deserved. If one other tennis skilled had received two Grand Slam singles and three Grand Slam doubles in a 12 months, I’m fairly certain that they might be a powerful contender for profitable the trophy.

‘That to me shouldn’t change simply because I’m in a wheelchair. I do know the occasions are barely totally different with the draw sizes, however it’s nonetheless a Grand Slam and I’ve needed to work tirelessly for these accolades. For that to be recognised, and if it did imply that I received it, I believe it might be transformational for incapacity sport and for me.’

Hewett is at present the fifth favorite for the award. But he has a historical past of overcoming the chances. When he was born in December 1997, he was eight weeks untimely, weighed little over three kilos and, most critically, had two holes in his coronary heart.

‘I was very ill when I came out,’ he says. ‘I was rushed from Norwich to Great Ormond Street in London. It must have been such a scary time for my mum. But they managed to stabilise that condition for nine months until I was a bit bigger and they could do the operation.’

Hewett nonetheless has the scar to point out from the surgical procedure he had for his congenital coronary heart defect at 9 months outdated. However, the unrelated situation that actually modified his life – Perthes Disease – was not recognized till the age of seven.

‘It’s a genetic situation the place the blood circulation going to the left hip is severely decreased, so the highest of femur begins to dissolve,’ he explains. ‘I first had it when I was six, but because of all the sport I was doing, we put it down to growing pains.

Hewett’s father would also be celebrating if he was to win the award after previously placing a bet on him to become SPOTY

‘It wasn’t till I began collapsing and I used to be in actual agony that we realised one thing was not including up. My mum took me to A&E, we had a bunch of X-rays finished and so they stated I had this situation. I got here out in a wheelchair and the remaining is historical past. It utterly modified the course of my life.’

Hewett, who continues to be in a position to stroll however shouldn’t be cell sufficient to do able-bodied sports activities, struggled together with his psychological well being within the quick aftermath of his prognosis. However, he says discovering wheelchair tennis gave him an ‘escape’ – similar to it has for the seven-year-old woman he met at his native tennis centre in Norwich final 12 months.

‘She had bone cancer but had a very negative outlook of being in a wheelchair and didn’t want to consider playing wheelchair tennis,’ explains Hewett. ‘I invited her and her mum to come and watch me at Wimbledon last year. It really changed her perception. I got a message that night to say she had signed up to an LTA initiative camp.

‘She’s now competing in junior events and has aspirations to follow in my footsteps and be at Grand Slams. It’s supposedly modified her life.

‘That was a real moment that I could see the impact of what I do. If it is one youngster a year that I can inspire, for me that’s just as important and as big as winning a Grand Slam.’

Hewett believes Wimbledon’s willingness to schedule wheelchair matches on their present courts has finished wonders for the profile of his sport. His personal first look on the massive stage took place by probability final 12 months after Rafa Nadal withdrew from his Centre Court semi-final with Nick Kyrgios.

‘If it wasn’t for Rafa pulling out together with his harm, I do not know if we might have gotten the chance,’ he says. ‘Because of that, they bumped all the matches from Court One to Centre Court, and then my singles semi-final from Court Three to Court One.

‘The atmosphere was electric. The interest and the engagement that it got was to a level that I’d never experienced before.

Hewett won two Grand Slam singles and three Grand Slam doubles in throughout this year

‘I remember seeing members of the committee being at courtside while that match was going on and just witnessing the love for wheelchair tennis.

‘The rest is history because this year I played the majority of my matches, singles and doubles, on Court One. It really has grown the sport in in the UK massively and that’s just two years. We’re even now having conversations about Centre Court and that’s just unbelievable.’

Hewett describe this 12 months’s doubles ultimate win with Gordon Reid on a packed Court One as ‘groundbreaking’. He charges that, and his first Australian Open singles triumph, as his two high moments from a stellar season. He additionally received the singles on the US Open singles and the doubles on the Australian Open and French Open.

His greatest disappointment was shedding the Wimbledon singles ultimate to Japan’s Tokito Oda, having led 4-1 within the first set. It stays the one Grand Slam trophy – singles or doubles – lacking from his assortment.

The 26-year-old British wheelchair tennis ace can be eyeing up gold on the Olympics with Team GB subsequent 12 months

‘Within half an hour, I went from being very optimistic to crying in the locker room,’ he admits. ‘I wish I could say I was Wimbledon champion. I’m determined to win it. But it motivates me when I’ve misplaced – and I’ll use it to gas me for subsequent 12 months.’

The solely different merchandise Hewett nonetheless has to tick off his bucket checklist is a Paralympic gold medal. He has three silvers from two earlier Games, however is determined to improve them in Paris subsequent summer time.

‘People ask, “How do you keep your motivation?” and for sure it’s Paris,’ provides Hewett. ‘It’s a large, large aim of mine to get a gold medal.’ A silver SPOTY trophy, although, would do relatively properly for now.

Watch BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Tuesday 19 December stay on BBC One and iPlayer from 7-9pm.