When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Having been born with a congenital heart defect that required surgery at 6 months, Alfie Hewett also suffered from Legg-Calve-Perthes disease. Yet the story of how the 27-time Grand Slam champion conquered the tennis world in a wheelchair is truly an exceptional story worth hearing about.

Recently, the 26YO British professional wheelchair tennis player made headlines as he picked his dream dinner party featuring some of the superstars of the tennis world. And Coco Gauff and Frances Tiafoe made it to the top of his list!

Alfie Hewett thinks what Coco Gauff achieved last year in her career was truly “unbelievable”

In a recent conversation on the Sky Sports Tennis podcast, Alfie Hewett was asked to pick five guests who he would invite for a dinner party. But the restrictions were that they should be 2 from the WTA, 2 from the ATP, and 1 celebrity. In reply, Hewett picked Aryna Sabalenka‘s name first. He said, “I think she would be ecstatic if we could get a conversation with Sabalenka. I gonna say Sabalenka.” But then came the answer, “I’d love to sit down with Coco Gauff, I think she was unbelievable last year. Her story, with what she has gone through, I think she’ll be fascinating.” For the ATP, he picked Frances Tiafoe’s name first.

Hewett added, “He’s a character. It’s going to be crazy. He’s a bundle of fun. I watched the Netflix documentary and he seems to be a pretty cool dude to hang out with. So, it’ll be quite entertaining.” For the last two spots, Hewett picked Andy Murray as the second player from the ATP, and from the celebrity section, it was Ryan Reynolds for the British tennis star.

Alfie Hewett is a former world number one in singles and current world number one in doubles. He got into wheelchair tennis at the age of 7 and believes it has been the “most amazing” thing that has ever happened to him.

“Completely changed my life and career path” -Hewett

During an interview with Sky Sports Hewett spoke about the impact tennis has made in his life. “It’s the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. It obviously completely changed my life. I’m extremely grateful to my family, who really pushed me because it was a time of difficulty,” Alfie Hewett.

He further went on to add, that he took up tennis at a very early age, “It’s probably the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. It obviously completely changed my life and career path.”

What he has achieved in his career so far is truly extraordinary and it requires enormous mental strength to win those battles off the court. What are your thoughts on his journey?