One-armed Kiwi climbs pro tennis ranks
Under blazing tropical skies, Alex Hunt tosses the ball high into air and smashes down a serve at a Bangkok tennis court, a feat made possible by a carbon-fibre prosthetic that has replaced his left arm.
The New Zealand tennis player is drawing attention in Thailand with a series of strong showings in Asian regional tournaments that he hopes will propel him higher up the top professional rankings — and inspire others to follow his lead.
Hunt came to prominence in Thailand last month during the Singha Classic tournament.
Nelson native Hunt, 23, was born without the lower half of his left arm but has never let that stop him pursuing his passion for tennis, a game he plays against able-bodied opponents.
“When I look at you guys with two arms I think ‘Man, that’s weird’ — I have no idea what that feels like, so I think you guys are weird and you probably think I’m a little bit strange,” he jokes.
He is fairly realistic about his goals. “I’ve got dreams, obviously, of playing in a Grand Slam and stuff like that,” he said.
“But goals in the next year is just to get a world ranking, and travel the world and have fun, meet cool people like I am doing in Thailand.”
Above all he hopes his experience will encourage other youngsters around the world to pick up a racquet.
“I’ve been playing since I was two or three, my whole life basically,” he says in between knock-up sessions in Bangkok where he has spent much of the last few months training for the International Tennis Federation’s Futures series in Hua Hin this week. The Kiwi saw off six players only to make the main draw.
He’s never seen his left arm as a hindrance or unusual.
“That’s a big dream of mine, to inspire kids or maybe other people that have disabilities — that they don’t have to worry about it, that they can live a normal life,” he said.
But Hunt faced a tough draw in Hua Hin against the local player and fifth seed Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul in the first round yesterday and crashing out 6-1, 6-2 to the Thai.