Alfie Hewett hopes to cap an emotional Roland-Garros homecoming as he eyes up a long-awaited Paralympic gold.

The Norfolk wheelchair tennis star, 26, kicks off his latest campaign in Paris this week bidding to climb one step higher on the podium than in Rio and Tokyo.

Hewett won both singles and doubles silvers in Brazil eight years ago before once again losing in the men’s doubles final alongside Gordon Reid at a behind-closed-doors Ariake Tennis Park.

The 30-time Grand Slam champion grabbed his first major singles title at the French Open back in 2017, with the Paris Paralympic tennis event now taking place on the same Roland-Garros clay.

Hewett has fond memories of the venue and hopes history can repeat itself as he aims to continue his golden summer and build on his maiden Wimbledon singles title last month.

“It sort of feels like home a little bit,” he said. “It's my first ever Grand Slam and I have some good memories there. Hopefully there's some connection between my first Grand Slam and my first gold medal.

“It’s a tournament that everyone in Paralympic sport dreams of playing. To put on the Union Jack and to play for your country is a really special feeling and an honour.

“To do that and participate in a Games is the pinnacle of sport. For me, it’s a massive ambition of mine to be here and to bring home a medal.

“When you're playing for yourself it means a lot and you want to do it for yourself, your family, your coaches your team and everyone around you.

“But when it’s a Paralympic medal, you know you’re part of a team, it's not just you and yourself - there's an all-round togetherness about the Paralympics, which is so different to a Grand Slam.”

Hewett has now won every Grand Slam tournament across both singles and doubles after finally capturing his first Wimbledon singles title earlier this summer.

He toppled Spanish underdog Martín de la Puente on the same day he also combined with Reid, a 25-time men’s doubles Grand Slam champion, to grab a sixth doubles title in SW19.

But he still remains without that elusive Paralympic gold after finishing runner-up three times in Rio and Tokyo.

Hewett will gun for both singles and doubles glory in the French capital, a venue where he has racked up eight titles across the two disciplines since that first in 2017.

But he will have to navigate his way past more opponents during his pursuit of Paralympic glory, with draws for the players in the Games sizeably bigger than in the Grand Slam events.

Hewett added: “Of course, it will be a really cool experience for all the wheelchair players.

“The Paralympic draws are triple the numbers of the Grand Slams, so a lot more players are going to experience what it's like to play in a Grand Slam venue.

“They’re going to love it – and the opportunities to be on Court Philippe-Chatrier or Suzanne-Lenglen a little bit more frequently than the Grand Slams is something that I’m excited about.”

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