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 Grand Slam wheelchair tennis titles at the French Open.

The 18-year-old believes it is fate that he will make his Paralympics debut in Paris.

“This is a special place for me and there is no guarantee that there will be another Paralympics in Paris in my lifetime. I played with the mindset that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to play in the Games in Paris,” he said.

Before 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” written in it. On September 1, he reached the third round of the men’s singles tournament by defeating Britain’s Ben Bartram in straight sets.

“For me it is very special to return to Roland Garros because in the last two years I have not lost a single match (at the French Open). I want to do it again,” he said.

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

Impossible? That’s nothing

But in fact, the Paralympics have already changed his life – drastically.

At the age of nine, he was diagnosed with bone cancer and underwent treatment and surgery. During his hospital stay, he watched a video of wheelchair tennis legend Shingo Kunieda playing in the men’s singles final at the London 2012 Paralympics.

“I played football as a child and by the age of six I was in a wheelchair. As a child it was a big deal, but then I got to know disability sport and then I had a dream. That was really important to me, for my whole life.”

“When I was in the hospital, I watched a few sports – wheelchair tennis, basketball and something else. And I chose wheelchair tennis because we have Shingo Kunieda from the same country,” Oda said. “I watched a video of his game and decided to play wheelchair tennis.”

Since taking up the sport, the teenager has achieved much more than most of his peers. At 14, Oda became the youngest boy to be ranked number one in the world in wheelchair tennis.

Three years later, he won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, becoming the youngest athlete to be ranked world number one in wheelchair tennis singles. With three more Grand Slam titles to his name, he is now a household name in Japan.

“I really enjoy playing wheelchair tennis with a chair and a racket. Usually (in tennis) we only have rackets when we are standing. Playing sports on a chair is really difficult, but it is also a lot of fun,” said Oda. “That is the most important thing for me.”

The happy place

Oda, who is being touted by the media as Kunieda’s successor, says his biggest challenge since the beginning of wheelchair tennis is “these Paralympics.”

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

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

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

For the children

Just as Kunieda was his role model for disabled sports, Oda hopes more children will be exposed to the sport and have the opportunity to participate in tournaments, so he helped organize a junior wheelchair tennis draw for an international tournament in his hometown.

“I want to share my experience on the international stage with children who have started playing wheelchair tennis. And I want to open the door to those who have not started yet so that they can get interested.”

“For me, the Paralympics are one of my biggest opportunities to change my life and change the lives of other people who watch my games. Hopefully they will start playing tennis and wheelchair tennis,” Oda said.

“I want to show many people my tennis.”