Shingo Kunieda Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 8 in |
Weight | 64 kg |
Date of Birth | February 21, 1984 |
Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
Spouse | Ai Kunieda |
Shingo Kunieda is a Japanese wheelchair tennis player who is widely regarded as the greatest male wheelchair tennis player of all time. He has excelled in both the singles and the doubles formats of the sport, having become world number 1 in singles in October 2006 for the first time (world number 1 as of July 2022) and world number 1 in doubles in May 2007 for the first time (world number 9 as of July 2022), as per the official ITF (International Tennis Federation) rankings. At Grand Slam tournaments, in the singles format, as of July 2022, he had won 28 titles – the Australian Open 11 times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022), the French Open 8 times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2022), the Wimbledon Championships once (2022), and the US Open 8 times (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021). At Grand Slam tournaments, in the doubles format, as of July 2022, he had won 22 titles – the Australian Open 8 times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015), the French Open 8 times (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019), the Wimbledon Championships 4 times (2006, 2013, 2014, 2022), and the US Open twice (2007, 2014).
Born Name
Shingo Kunieda
Nick Name
Shingo
Sun Sign
Pisces
Born Place
Tokyo, Kantō, Honshu, Japan
Residence
Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Kantō, Honshu, Japan
Nationality
Education
Shingo graduated from the Reitaku University, a private university in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture.
Occupation
Wheelchair Tennis player
Manager
He has been represented by IMG (International Management Group), Global Sports, Events, and Talent Management Company, New York City, New York, United States.
Plays
Right-Handed
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 8 in or 173 cm
Weight
64 kg or 141 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Shingo has dated –
- Ai Kunieda (2011-Present)
Race / Ethnicity
Asian
He is of Japanese descent.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Short-cropped hair
- Cheerful smile
- Clean-shaven look
- Has a mole on his neck
Brand Endorsements
He has been sponsored by –
- Yonex Co., Ltd. (Japanese sports equipment manufacturing company)
- Uniqlo Co., Ltd. (Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer, and retailer)
- Honda Motor Company, Ltd. (Japanese manufacturer of automobiles and power equipment)
- The Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon Corporation (American investment banking services holding company)
- NEC Corporation (Japanese multinational IT and electronics corporation)
- OX Engineering Co., Ltd. (Japanese engineering goods manufacturer, specializing in wheelchairs)
- In Jelly (ready-to-drink jelly supplement, a brand of Morinaga & Company, Ltd., a Japanese confectionery company)
- Inoue Rubber Co., Ltd. (Japanese maker of tires and other rubber products)
- The All Nippon Airways (ANA) Co., Ltd. (Japanese airline)
Shingo Kunieda Facts
- Shingo was diagnosed with a tumor in his spinal cord when he was about 9 years old. The tumor had paralyzed the lower half of his body.
- At the FESPIC (Far East and South Pacific) Games for the Disabled, he won the ‘Gold’ medal in Busan (2002) (doubles competition) and Kuala Lumpur (2006) (singles competition). At the latter edition of the event, he also secured the ‘Bronze’ medal in both the doubles and the team competitions.
- Representing Japan, Shingo clinched the World Team Cup (a wheelchair tennis tournament for national teams, held annually since 1985) in 2003 and 2007.
- At the Summer Paralympics, he won the ‘Gold’ medal in the doubles competition in 2004 (Athens). He also won the doubles ‘Bronze’ medal in 2008 (Beijing) and 2016 (Rio).
- He was the ITF (International Tennis Federation) World Champion from 2007 to 2010. Between 2007 and 2010, he had also strung a 106-match consecutive win streak.
- In 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2015, he won all 3 singles Grand Slam tournaments that hosted wheelchair singles events at that time (Australian Open, French Open, US Open). The wheelchair singles event was not held at the Wimbledon Championships until 2016.
- At the Summer Paralympics, he won the ‘Gold’ medal in the singles competition in 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London), and 2021 (called the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympics but held in August and September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). In 2012, he became the first player to retain the men’s singles title at the Summer Paralympics. No one else had matched this feat, as of July 2022.
- At both the 2010 (Guangzhou) and the 2014 (Incheon) editions of the Asian Para Games, he won the ‘Gold’ medal in both the singles and the doubles competitions.
- At the 2012 edition of the Wheelchair Tennis Masters, a year-end tennis event for wheelchair athletes, he won both the singles and the doubles titles. He also won the singles title in both 2013 and 2014.
- As of July 2022, Shingo’s record of 28 titles in the singles format at Grand Slam tournaments was an all-time singles record in any tennis discipline.
Featured Image by Shingo Kunieda / Instagram