New Zealand’s one-armed tennis player takes on Thailand

BANGKOK — 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, ranked 49th in his country, has been catching the eye 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

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.

He uses his prosthetic left arm to toss the ball. With his right arm he generates powerful, sharp-angled shots.

“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 in Thailand.”

In a previous interview with New Zealand news and information website stuff.co,nz, Hunt said even though he is currently competing in the ITF Men’s Futures competitions, the bottom tier of professional tennis, there are no weak players.

“They’re strong and they’re all trying to do the same thing; win that first point,” he said.

“When you get that first point you’re set but getting it is hard.

“You need to get a really good qualifying draw, play a few locals who maybe aren’t quite as good.”

While most people admire the effort Hunt has put in to forge a pro career in tennis, he encountered resentment of his success as a junior.

“I had one bad reaction in my tennis career,” he told Thai newspaper the Nation.

“A father of the kid I was playing against complained that I get an advantage using my prosthetic arm. But I try to block out other people’s opinions.

“I see myself the same as everyone else,” said Hunt

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 tells AFP in between knock-up sessions in Bangkok where he has spent much of the last few months training for the International Tennis Federation’s Men’s Futures series in Hua Hin this week. where the Kiwi saw off six players, including Thailand’s No 10, to make the main draw.

Hunt’s never seen his left arm as a hindrance or unusual.

“That’s a big dream of mine, is 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 No 5 seed Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul in the first round on Tuesday morning and crashed out 6-1, 6-2 to the Thai. AFP