For Tokito Oda, Paris holds a special place in his heart. Named after the Arc de Triomphe, the iconic monument in the heart of the city, he also won two of his four wheelchair tennis Grand Slam titles at the French Open.

The 18-year-old believes fate has favoured him to make his Paralympic debut in Paris.

“This is a special place for me, and there is no guarantee that there will be another Paralympics in Paris while I am alive. I have been toying with the idea that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to play in the Paris Games,” he said.

Ahead of the wheelchair tennis singles tournament, Oda posted a photo on Instagram of himself making a wish in front of the Arc de Triomphe, with the word “Dreamer”. On September 1, he reached the third round of the men’s singles tournament by beating Briton Ben Bartram in straight sets.

“Coming back to Roland Garros is very special for me because in the last two years I haven’t lost a match (at Roland Garros). I want to do it again,” he said.

“I think these Games will be a turning point in my life. The Games will be an opportunity for me to change my life drastically. I don’t know how, but I know for sure.”

Impossible? That’s nothing

But in fact, the Paralympic Games have already changed his life drastically.

He was diagnosed with bone cancer when he was nine and underwent treatment and surgery. While in hospital, he watched a video of wheelchair tennis legend Shingo Kunieda playing in the men’s singles final at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

“I used to play football when I was young and I started using a wheelchair when I was six. That’s really important as a child, but I saw Parasport and then I had a dream. That was really important for me, for my life.”

“When I was in the hospital, I watched a few sports – wheelchair tennis, basketball and some other things. And I chose wheelchair tennis because we have Shingo Kunieda from the same country,” Oda said. “I saw a video of him playing and I decided to play wheelchair tennis.”

Since taking up the sport, the teenager has achieved far more than most of his peers. At 14, Oda became the youngest ever boys’ world number 1 in the junior wheelchair tennis rankings.

Three years later, he won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, becoming the youngest athlete to be ranked No. 1 in the wheelchair tennis singles rankings. With three more Grand Slam titles, he is now a household name in Japan.

“I really like playing wheelchair tennis with a chair and a racket. Normally (in tennis) we only have rackets when we are standing. Playing in a chair is really hard, but also a lot of fun,” Oda said. “That’s the most important thing for me.”

The happy place

Oda, who is seen by the media as Kunieda’s successor, says his biggest challenge since he started wheelchair tennis is “the Paralympic Games”.

But he has been his own “biggest supporter” all along, and he knows Paris is his happy place. At this year’s French Open, he won without dropping a single set on the iconic red clay courts.

“I’m very lucky here. My name is Tokito and my kanji (Japanese character) comes from the Arc de Triomphe. So I have inspiration from Paris. This time is so special for me.”

“I think my biggest supporter is myself, because I decided everything myself. My parents support me too, but I chose almost everything myself – to play this sport and where I go. Everything I chose myself, and I think that’s very important to live my own life.”

For the children

Just as Kunieda was his role model when he entered Parasport, Oda hopes that more children will be introduced to the sport and given the opportunity to compete in tournaments. That’s why he helped organize a junior wheelchair tennis draw at an international tournament in his hometown.

“For kids who have started playing wheelchair tennis, I want to share what I have experienced on the international stage. And for those who have not started yet, I want to open a door to get interested.

“For me, the Paralympic Games are one of the biggest opportunities to change my life and to change the lives of other people who watch my competition. Hopefully, they will also play tennis and wheelchair tennis,” Oda said.

“I want to show my tennis to many people.”