ODDS and EVENS | Shingo Kunieda Joins Fledgling Wheelchair Basketball Team as a New Challenge

It's nice to see retired athletes finding new passions, new hobbies. Maybe even a new sport to participate in. Such is the case with Shingo Kunieda, the greatest wheelchair tennis player of all time.

Kunieda has started playing wheelchair basketball. And he's fired up about it! (More on that in a moment.)

In January 2023, Kunieda retired with 50 Grand Slam titles, including 28 in singles competition. He was a few weeks shy of his 39th birthday and ranked No 1 in the world at the time of his announcement.

In 2022, Kunieda was at the top of his game, capturing the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon singles titles.

What prompted his decision to retire?

"I felt I have done enough with what I want to accomplish," he was quoted as saying by the BBC.

Shingo Kunieda Embraces a New Challenge

A few years after collecting his final tennis title, Kunieda is hungry to shoot for success in another sport.

He's a member of the newly formed Gray Fox wheelchair basketball team. The team, which was formed in April 2026, outlined its general goals on its website.

"We established this team with the goal of creating a place where athletes who have competed at the highest level can find a new passion as they enter the next stage of their careers," it stated.

The statement continued: "We are uniquely positioned to show that you can continue to shine no matter your age. And we believe we have a mission to share this message. By making the most of each member's experience, we will promote sports and have a positive impact on society."

On Monday, July 6, Kunieda announced on his X (formerly Twitter) account that he'd made his tournament debut in a first-round match of the 51st Tokyo Wheelchair Basketball Championship. The Tokyo tournament serves as a regional qualifier for the 52nd Japan Wheelchair Basketball Championship, aka the Emperor's Cup. 

Debut for Shingo Kunieda and Teammates

The tennis great's Gray Fox debut, and his team's first-ever game, took place on July 4 in Higashiyamato, western Tokyo. A team called Blast defeated Gray Fox.

On the social media platform, Kunieda posted photos with his new teammates and also shared a video showing him making a shot in his Gray Fox debut.

"In my debut game, that was the shot I executed most cleanly," he said in a tweet, referring to the basket he made in the video shown above. "The others were all over the place. … I guess I'll have to take 30,000 shots from every area first, using proper form! There's just so much else to learn, too."

The excitement for the challenge that lies ahead shines through in Kunieda's written post.

A Win-Win Situation

In any sport, it takes countless hours of practice ― and competition ― to develop the skills to become an all-around standout. 

Shingo Kunieda, a three-time Paralympic singles gold medalist, learned this during his tennis career.

For Kunieda, that same discipline to strive for excellence, now taking place on basketball courts, will be an intriguing story to follow in the weeks, months and years to come. 

Indeed, Kunieda's enthusiasm for competition is infectious. He's an inspiration to athletes and individuals of all ages.

A notable example: Tokito Oda, Kunieda's heir apparent as the world's premier men's wheelchair tennis player, spoke about the retired legend's impact on his career after winning the 2024 Paris Paralympic singles gold.

"He was my hero and I looked up to him, and now someone will look up to me," Oda said at the Paris Games.

RELATED:

• EDITORIAL | National Inspiration Shingo Kunieda Receives People's Honor Award 
• Wheelchair Tennis Legend Shingo Kunieda Announces Retirement 

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.