Hewett ignoring the noise in pursuit of maiden Wimbledon singles title

By Will Jennings at Wimbledon

Alfie Hewett hopes blocking out the noise can fire him to a long-awaited first Wimbledon singles title.

The Norwich wheelchair tennis star, 26, got his campaign off to a winning start with a comfortable straight sets triumph over fellow Norfolk player Ben Bartram.

Hewett breezed to the first set 6-1 and despite Bartram giving him a slight scare in the second, the No.2 seed served out for the match to keep his SW19 dream alive.

Hewett is an eight-time Grand Slam singles champion but still chasing that elusive Wimbledon crown after suffering back-to-back defeats in the previous two finals.

He admitted to turning his phone off throughout last year’s event and hopes following that formula once again can help him stay in his bubble and battle over the line.

“I want to win the singles here – that’s no secret and I’m trying to embrace that,” he said.

“There’s a strong fire in the belly – there have been good, positive signs and I use the fact I’ve made the last two finals as motivation to make me focused.

“You want to be in your bubble and in your zone – last year was a bit of a trial for that.

“Wimbledon is different to other tournaments – you’ve got family, friends and fans who want to wish you well and get in touch.

“Maybe I’ve experienced a slight bit of distraction in the past – last year I decided to [turn my phone off] and it was really beneficial.

“I’m taking the same approach this time around – I feel like I’m in a really great place and have got a great team around me.

“Everyone knows I’m not being rude – everyone understands that I’m here to do a job and get myself in the best possible mindset to win both the singles and doubles this week.”

Next up for Hewett is a clash against French player Stephane Houdet, with the 27-time Grand Slam champion having to navigate his way through an additional round this year after the draw was increased to 16 players.

And he will also be joining forces with Gordon Reid, a record-holding 24-time Grand Slam doubles champion, in the men’s doubles this week too.

Hewett added: “I’m feeling optimistic after today – we’ve had lots of grass-court preparation and I feel settled.

“I’m feeling positive and looking forward to the next round – I’m going to need to be aggressive and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

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