Shingo Kunieda facts for kids
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Kunieda at the 2011 US Open, New York
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| Country (sports) |  Japan |
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| Residence | Chiba, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 21, 1984 Tokyo, Japan |
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| Plays | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 493–62 (88.89%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (9 October 2006) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Masters | W (2012, 2013, 2014) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paralympic Games |  Gold Medal (2008, 2012, 2020) |
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| Doubles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 340–82 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 51 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (21 May 2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (2006, 2013, 2014, 2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (2007, 2014) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other doubles tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Masters Doubles | W (2012) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paralympic Games | Gold Medal (2004) |
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| Team competitions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Team Cup | 2003, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Shingo Kunieda (国枝 慎吾, Kunieda Shingo, born February 21, 1984) is a famous Japanese wheelchair tennis player. He is known as one of the greatest male wheelchair tennis players ever. He has won four Paralympic gold medals. He also holds a record 28 major singles titles in tennis. Overall, he has won 50 major titles.
Kunieda was the top-ranked player in the world from 2007 to 2010. He was also the best in doubles in 2007. In several years (2007, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015), he won all three major singles events. These were the ones that included wheelchair tennis at the time. He also won three of the four Masters series events in 2007 and 2008. Kunieda is the only male player to win the Paralympic men's singles title three times. He won gold in 2008, 2012, and 2020. He also won a gold medal in men's doubles at the 2004 Paralympics. He helped Japan win the World Team Cup twice. In total, he has won 103 career titles.
Kunieda once had an amazing winning streak of 106 matches. This streak lasted for three years. It started after a loss in 2007 and ended in 2010. He also had another streak of 44 wins in 2012-2013. From 2014 to 2015, he had a 77-match winning streak. Kunieda plays right-handed. His favorite playing surface is a hard court. He announced he was retiring from the sport in January 2023.
Contents
About Shingo Kunieda
His Early Life and Education
Shingo Kunieda was born on February 21, 1984, in Tokyo, Japan. When he was 9 years old, doctors found a tumor in his spinal cord. This caused the lower half of his body to become paralyzed. He uses a special wheelchair made by Ox Engineering to play tennis. Kunieda went to Reitaku University in Japan. After graduating, he started working for the university.
Shingo Kunieda's Tennis Career
Becoming a Top Player: 2005–2008
In 2007, Kunieda became the world's number one player again. He won the Australian Open in a tough three-set match. He also won other major events in Paris and New York. He won many other tournaments that year. Kunieda finished 2007 as the World Champion. He also won the Australian Open doubles with Robin Ammerlaan. He was part of the Japanese team that won the World Team Cup.
In 2008, Kunieda won major titles in Melbourne and Paris. He also won tournaments in Pensacola, Boca Raton, Fukuoka, and Nottingham. At the Paralympics, Kunieda won the gold medal in singles. He and his partner Saida won the Australian Open doubles. They also won other doubles titles together. Kunieda was named the ITF World Champion for 2008.
Continuing Success: 2009–2012
In 2009, Kunieda won all the Grand Slam singles titles. He also won tournaments in Sydney, Fukuoka, Nottingham, and St Louis. He was named the ITF World Champion for 2009. In doubles, he won the Australian Open with Ammerlaan.
In 2010, Kunieda won titles in Fukuoka and Paris. He also won in St Louis, where he achieved his 100th straight singles match win. He won both singles and doubles titles at the Australian Open and French Open. He saved two match points in Melbourne to keep his winning streak going. Kunieda also won the US Open. He finished 2010 by winning two gold medals at the Asian Para Games. He was the ITF World Champion again.
In 2011, Kunieda won titles in Sydney, Kobe, Fukuoka, and Paris. An elbow injury made him withdraw from the US Open finals. He won both titles at the Australian Open. He also won the US Open singles.
Kunieda started 2012 by helping his country reach the World Team Cup semifinals. He won the French Open singles. He also won the Swiss Open and the British Open for the fourth time. He made history by being the first man to win the Paralympic men's singles title twice in a row. At the 2012 Masters, Kunieda finally won that important title.
Dominating the Sport: 2013-2015
During these years, Kunieda was the best in men's singles wheelchair tennis. In 2013, he won the APIA Sydney International Wheelchair Open. Then, he won his eighth Australian Open title. This win extended his winning streak to 34 matches. His 44-match winning streak ended when he lost in South Africa. At the 2013 French Open, he reached the final but lost a very close match.
Achieving the Grand Slam and Retirement: 2021–2023
At the Tokyo Paralympics, held in 2021, Kunieda won the gold medal in singles. He won all five of his matches without losing a set. He beat the defending champion in the semifinals and Egberink in the final.
At the US Open, Kunieda won his 25th major singles title. He beat Ratzlaff, Reid, and Hewett.
In the 2022 Australian Open, Kunieda reached the final by beating Gérard and Egberink. In the final, he defeated Hewett in three sets.
At the 2022 French Open, Kunieda beat Houdet and Oda to reach the final. He then won the final against Fernandez.
The 2022 Wimbledon Championships were very exciting. Kunieda beat Egberink and the defending champion Gérard to reach the final. In the final against Hewett, Kunieda was losing 2-5 in the last set. Hewett even served for the championship four times. But Kunieda fought back and won the set 7-6 after a tiebreaker. This victory meant he had won the "non-calendar year Grand Slam" and the "career Super Slam" in singles. This was his 28th major singles title. In doubles, Kunieda and his partner Fernandez won the final. They beat Hewett and Reid, ending their streak of 10 major doubles titles.
At the 2022 US Open, Kunieda hoped to win the Grand Slam. He reached the final but lost to Hewett. He announced his retirement from tennis in January 2023.
How Shingo Kunieda Played Tennis
His Unique Playing Style
One of Kunieda's biggest strengths was his "chair work," which means how well he moved his wheelchair. In wheelchair tennis, players are allowed two bounces for the ball. However, Kunieda almost always hit the ball after only one bounce. This made it very hard for his opponents because they had less time to react.
In 2008, former world No. 3 Michael Jeremias said that Kunieda had "almighty abilities." He also said that Kunieda's speed of movement was outstanding. Kunieda also improved his serve and backhand over time.
Mental Strength and Impact on the Sport
Before 2006, Kunieda was ranked around 10th in the world. After getting advice from a mental trainer, he started telling himself, "I'm the strongest!" This helped him become mentally tougher. Just 10 months later, he became the world's number one player.
Kunieda wanted to make sports for people with disabilities more popular. He also wanted to make wheelchair tennis exciting to watch. He did this by using new plays, like strong topspin backhands and aggressive net play. These moves were not common in wheelchair tennis before him.
Career Statistics
Grand Slam Performance Timelines
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | NH |
Wheelchair Singles
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | W | W | W | W | W | A | W | W | W | QF | A | W | SF | W | SF | W | 11 / 14 | – |
| French Open | NH | W | W | W | W | SF | F | F | W | W | SF | QF | W | SF | SF | F | W | 8 / 16 | – |
| Wimbledon | Not held | A | SF | QF | F | NH | QF | W | 1 / 5 | – | |||||||||
| US Open | SF | W | NH | W | W | W | NH | F | W | W | NH | QF | F | QF | W | W | F | 8 / 13 | – |
| Win–loss | 1–1 | 9–0 | 7–0 | 8–0 | 8–0 | 7–1 | 2–1 | 7–2 | 9–0 | 9–0 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 8–2 | 4–4 | 7–1 | 6–3 | 12–1 | 28 / 49 | – |
Wheelchair Doubles
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | W | W | W | W | W | A | W | W | W | F | A | SF | SF | SF | SF | SF | 8 / 14 | – |
| French Open | NH | F | W | SF | W | W | W | W | SF | W | W | SF | SF | W | F | SF | SF | 8 / 16 | – |
| Wimbledon | W | F | A | F | F | SF | A | W | W | SF | A | SF | SF | SF | NH | SF | W | 4 / 13 | – |
| US Open | F | W | NH | SF | SF | SF | NH | SF | W | SF | NH | SF | SF | F | SF | F | QF | 2 / 14 | – |
| Win–loss | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 22 / 59 | – |
Grand Slam Finals
Wheelchair Singles: 35 Finals (28 Titles, 7 Runner-ups)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2007 | Australian Open | Hard |  Michaël Jérémiasz |
6–3, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 2007 | French Open | Clay |  Robin Ammerlaan |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 2007 | US Open | Hard | Robin Ammerlaan |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 2008 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Michaël Jérémiasz |
6–1, 6–4 |
| Win | 2008 | French Open (2) | Clay | Robin Ammerlaan |
6–0, 7–6 |
| Win | 2009 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | Stéphane Houdet |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 2009 | French Open (3) | Clay | Stéphane Houdet |
6–3, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 2009 | US Open (2) | Hard | Maikel Scheffers |
6–0, 6–0 |
| Win | 2010 | Australian Open (4) | Hard | Stéphane Houdet |
7–6, 2–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 2010 | French Open (4) | Clay |  Stefan Olsson |
6–4, 6–0 |
| Win | 2010 | US Open (3) | Hard | Nicolas Peifer |
Walkover |
| Win | 2011 | Australian Open (5) | Hard | Stéphane Houdet |
6–0, 6–3 |
| Win | 2011 | US Open (4) | Hard | Stéphane Houdet |
3–6, 6–1, 6–0 |
| Loss | 2012 | French Open | Clay | Stéphane Houdet |
2–6, 6–2, 6–7 |
| Win | 2013 | Australian Open (6) | Hard | Stéphane Houdet |
6–2, 6–0 |
| Loss | 2013 | French Open | Clay | Stéphane Houdet |
5–7, 7–5, 6–7 |
| Loss | 2013 | US Open | Hard | Stéphane Houdet |
2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2014 | Australian Open (7) | Hard |  Gustavo Fernández |
6–0, 6–1 |
| Win | 2014 | French Open (5) | Clay | Stéphane Houdet |
6–4, 6–1 |
| Win | 2014 | US Open (5) | Hard | Gustavo Fernández |
7–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 2015 | Australian Open (8) | Hard | Stéphane Houdet |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 2015 | French Open (6) | Clay | Stéphane Houdet |
6–1, 6–0 |
| Win | 2015 | US Open (6) | Hard | Stéphane Houdet |
6–7, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 2018 | Australian Open (9) | Hard | Stéphane Houdet |
4–6, 6–1, 7–6 |
| Win | 2018 | French Open (7) | Clay | Gustavo Fernández |
7–6, 6–0 |
| Loss | 2018 | US Open | Hard |  Alfie Hewett |
3–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 2019 | Wimbledon | Grass | Gustavo Fernández |
6–4, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 2020 | Australian Open (10) | Hard | Gordon Reid |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 2020 | US Open (7) | Hard | Alfie Hewett |
6–3, 3–6, 7–6 |
| Loss | 2021 | French Open | Clay | Alfie Hewett |
3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2021 | US Open (8) | Hard | Alfie Hewett |
6–1, 6–4 |
| Win | 2022 | Australian Open (11) | Hard | Alfie Hewett |
7–5, 3–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 2022 | French Open (8) | Clay | Gustavo Fernández |
6–2, 5–7, 7–5 |
| Win | 2022 | Wimbledon | Grass | Alfie Hewett |
4–6, 7–5, 7–6 |
| Loss | 2022 | US Open | Hard | Alfie Hewett |
6–7, 1–6 |
See also
In Spanish: Shingo Kunieda para niños
