Last year, Yui Kamiji fell just one victory short of sweeping all four wheelchair singles grand slam titles in a calendar year.
The Japanese world No 1 and reigning Paralympic champion started 2025 by adding a third Australian Open crown to her resume.
A few months later in Paris, she clinched a fifth Roland Garros title before losing in the Wimbledon final to China’s Wang Ziying.
Kamiji then capped the best season of her career by winning a third US Open trophy, taking her total tally of grand slam singles titles to 11.
With Wimbledon still the only major that has eluded her, it’s no surprise that a triumph at the All England Club is at the top of Kamiji’s bucket list this year. Success at Wimbledon would make her just the fifth wheelchair tennis player in history to complete the career Golden Slam (winning all four majors at least once, plus Olympic gold).
“For this season, I have the title that I couldn't get before, the only one title, which is Wimbledon singles, so I'm going to aim for it,” the 31-year-old told The National in Abu Dhabi.
Kamiji was in the UAE capital last month taking part in a wheelchair tennis invitational held alongside the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, which is the first stand-alone WTA event to feature wheelchair tennis.
The Japanese veteran joined fellow players, Maria Angelica Bernal of Colombia and Jiske Griffioen of the Netherlands, in a four-day event that included matches, community clinics and coaching for people with disabilities, as well as a special introductory wheelchair tennis clinic welcoming local youth to try the sport first-hand.
“I'm really enjoying to play tennis and also improve myself, so it's still on the way, and I'm taking things step by step,” said Kamiji, who made significant improvements to her game in order to contend with serial champion Diede de Groot.
“I'm really enjoying that moment as well, not just win or not just play, but to meet people, which is also important for me. Yeah, like I met many people here, Japanese and also people who don't know about wheelchair tennis, and we discussed many things, and hopefully they get interested and help us in the future.”
A key moment in Kamiji’s career came at the Paris 2024 Games, where she defeated her long-time rival De Groot in a thrilling final to clinch her first Paralympic gold medal in singles, after claiming bronze in Rio and silver in Tokyo.
Kamiji also took doubles gold in Paris, partnering Manami Tanaka to beat De Groot and Aniek van Koot in the final.
Kamiji was overcome by emotion after securing the singles title, her celebration becoming one of the standout moments of the Games. But her triumph in Paris wasn’t just a sporting achievement for her; it changed her perspective and ignited a new mission for her – one that involves spreading the joy of wheelchair tennis across the globe, and creating opportunities for people with disabilities both back home in Japan and around the world.
“After Paris, I a little bit changed my mind, because until that time I really, really wanted to get a medal, gold medal especially, but now I would like to introduce what we are doing, and also thinking about how we can develop wheelchair tennis, and of course for women, as a woman who has a disability,” she added.
Kamiji was born with spina bifida, a condition affecting the spine and lower limb function. The Akashi-native got into tennis thanks to her sister and now plays a big role in advocating for people with disabilities back in Japan.
“To me, I just followed my sister, because she started soft tennis when she was in junior high school, and every time I was following her, not just tennis, and it was just fun,” said the talented lefty.
“I just wanted to play with her, and it gave me such a great opportunity to be an athlete, and also it was one of my dreams that I'm going out of Japan, and it came in a different way.
“But still I'm enjoying my life, so hopefully people who have disabilities, and also those who don't have disabilities, it doesn't matter, but I want to give them some opportunity to see the world, and then they can choose.
“If they can't see, then they can't choose anything by themselves, so I just want to give them many suggestions, and from that they can choose by themselves.”
Kamiji remains coy about her exact plans but it is clear there is a project in the works to fulfil her mission by creating an entire ecosystem around wheelchair tennis.
“I'm still playing as a professional player, but at the same time I think I can do something, and it's a little bit secret, so I can't tell you all,” she says with a smile.
“But I would like to help the people who would like to start in sports, not just tennis, but especially Asian people, and it doesn't have to be Japanese, because our world is still small; it's getting bigger, but I want to get bigger and bigger, and people who can enjoy, and not just playing, but watching too, and combine together, as a player, as staff, as volunteers, then I think we can get more connection to each other, to help each other.”
Are the LA 2028 Paralympics on her radar? “As I said, my focus is the Wimbledon singles title now, so if I can get that, I'm going to think about it, but not so far,” replied the four-time Paralympian.
“I also think to play there, and hopefully I can keep a good level [until then].” That would seem to be a strong maybe.
