Alfie Hewett makes history

Victory was not handed to him on a silver platter but defending wheelchair tennis champion Alfie Hewett (25) triumphed again. After an exciting match at the ABN AMRO Open, after an exciting battle against Martin De la Puente, Hewett won:  6-0 7-5. With his title, the Briton wrote history. Never before has a player won four titles in a row in Rotterdam Ahoy, neither in the singles draw nor in the wheelchair tennis tournament.
 

Stands were full on Court 2 on Sunday to watch world No1 Alfie Hewett fight against Martin de la Puente in a final contest for the title. The three-time champion was a huge favourite ahead of the match against the Spaniard who was making debut in a final at Ahoy. In the opening set, Hewett seemed to be heading for a new crown quite smoothly, after a hard-earned yet comfortable 6-0 on the scoreboard. 

It took a steady effort for a determined De La Puente to step up his game. In the second set, the Spaniard who had eliminated Tom Egberink in the semifinals, even took the lead. As a testament to his fighting spirit, in an attempt to desperately keep returning the ball he fell out of his wheelchair. He seemed a bit shaken at first, but once back in his seat he recovered, and even went on to win that game. After an intense second set, and nearly an hour-in-a-half on court, De de la Puente had to congratulate his opponent. Hewett spoke highly of his world No7 after the match : 'Martin played very well and with passion. I started the match very well, but when my level dropped slightly in the second set, I was behind again in no time. That is actually good, it also says something about the increasing competitiveness of wheelchair tennis.’

Tournament director Esther Vergeer thought so too, and watched the final with admiration. With his first tournament victory in 2020, Vergeer already said that Hewett had set "a new standard" in terms of level that would emulate others. This is what is happening now, concluded Vergeer and the winner Hewett. 'Some of my wins may seem easy, but it certainly isn't. A new generation is now active on the tour; players who are so strong that you cannot release the pressure for a single moment.’ Vergeer also saw  this : 'Modern wheelchair tennis goes together with a lot of power and pace. Everyone was able to see that again this week; the young guys are all so strong.’

A historic win with immense pride

Hewett won everything there is to win in his career. Being the first player to win the ABN AMRO Open title four times fills him with pride, but he is still hungry for more : 'Right now, I can still feel the adrenaline from the game, but, of course, I'm proud. I was able to win such a wonderful tournament and was strong enough to have kept my hands on the trophy four times already. Of course I sometimes have moments when my motivation decreases. It happened after I won the Australian Open in January, in the training sessions afterwards I sometimes had trouble keeping up with the rhythm. Fortunately, I am also a natural competitor: when it comes to a title, I’m always at my best level.’ he smiled.

For wheelchair tournament director Esther Vergeer - newly elected to The Hall of Fame on Saturday and honoured for her merits for the wheelchair tennis sport - the men's final was the fitting conclusion to a memorable jubilee week. The fiftieth edition of the men's tournament went along without a hitch, and the men's final drew a large crowd. It was also the first edition of the women's tournament which gave everyone an appetite for more. This will come soon. 'It is fantastic that we can organise both a women's and a men's tournament for the next two years. The great interest and appreciation of ABN AMRO and the spectators was wonderful to see. Now we’ve crossed a figurative threshold because the women's final was played on Centre Court for the first time this year. Now it’s time for men: they also deserve a place on the bigger stage. If we can play the both finals on  Centre Court next year, I'm sure every tennis fan will see a spectacular match.’