HEWETT Alfie

Classification
Open (itftennis.com, 05 Feb 2020)

Type of Impairment
Impaired range of motion (Athlete, 12 Jun 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (Athlete, 12 Jun 2016)

Impairment Details
He was born with the congenital heart defect known as tetralogy of Fallot and underwent open heart surgery at age six months. He was then diagnosed with Perthes disease at age six, which affects his hip. (paralympics.org.uk, 15 Sep 2016)

General
IMPACT OF RULE CHANGE
In 2019 the International Tennis Federation [ITF] announced the introduction of rule changes that meant classification would no longer be based on player self-assessment, and instead players would have to undergo objective evaluation to determine their eligibility to compete in the sport. He was told that he would be unable to play beyond the 2020 season as his impairment did not meet the criteria. However, the ITF postponed the introduction of the rule changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning he remained eligible to compete until the end of 2021. "At least I can carry on playing for another 15 months or so. Hopefully there can be decisions overturned. It's hard to be told that your career has to be stopped from a decision that's not in your own hands. You're going to have to go out there and try to win and put all that behind you, which is not easy when maybe you're in a final or a semifinal and there's something in the back of your head that keeps reminding you it could be the last time." (itftennis.com, 02 Aug 2019; tennis365.com, 11 Sep 2020; inews.co.uk, 24 Apr 2020; bbc.co.uk, 31 Jan 2020; bt.com, 11 Sep 2020)