Now 24 years old, she first went on an overseas tour when she was 15 years old and in her third year of junior high school. Leaving her parents behind and visiting England with her teammates, she says her experience excited her, as she had always had a strong interest in overseas destinations. Since then, she has consistently played in overseas matches, and now spends more than half of each month on overseas tours.
Although traveling in a wheelchair is by no means light, Uechi's demeanor as she talks about her travels is light as a feather. What is the secret to maintaining such a posture amid a packed schedule of matches and physically demanding days? We asked her about her commitment to seeing the world through tennis, and the appeal of traveling in a wheelchair.
Interview and text: Kumiko Katakai Photography: Lori Barbely Editing: Satomi Hara, Kohei Sasaki
The excitement I felt while waiting in line at Disneyland was refreshing.
JAL: Mr. Kamiji, you are currently in Orlando, Florida, USA (at the time of the interview) to compete in the NEC Singles Masters, the final tournament of the season. What are your impressions of the city of Orlando?
Uechi: This was my first time visiting Orlando. The USTA National Campus, where the tournament was held, is located near a large lake called Lake Nona, and the area around the hotel where I'm staying looks like a resort area.
There were some very rare birds, deer grazing around, and even a weasel crossed our path on the way to the venue (lol). Overall, it gave the impression of being a place rich in nature.
In the center of town there is a large park called Lake Eola Park, but it wasn't very crowded and had a calm atmosphere where time seemed to pass slowly.
The USTA National Campus in Orlando where the NEC Singles Masters tournament was held. *Photo provided by related parties
JAL: Mr. Kamiji, you don't usually go out much on trips, but we heard that this time you went to Walt Disney World Resort.
Uechi: That's right! (laughs) I had a lot of fun going around the park and watching the parade, but there was so much I wanted to see that I just didn't have enough time.
Of all the Disney characters, I like Stitch, so I was really happy to meet him this time (laughs).
JAL: I heard that all areas of the Walt Disney World Resort are barrier-free. Is there any difference in the way things are handled in Japan and the United States?
Uechi: Unlike in Japan, most of the attractions allow you to queue and use them in your wheelchair, and moving around the park was very smooth, which impressed me.
In Japan, there are detailed explanations of the attractions for wheelchair users, and they spend about 10 minutes just before boarding to go over all the details, such as checking their physical condition and explaining how to evacuate in an emergency.
This is very important for safety, but it does make me feel a little disappointed when I hear in advance, "Please be careful as this is what will happen at this point," even though it's my first time riding the attraction (laughs).
Also, wheelchair users are often given a separate route to reach an attraction, but in America we lined up in the same queue as everyone else, so the excitement of the waiting time was a very refreshing experience.
JAL: It's true that the waiting time is part of the fun of the attractions. Are there any countries or places you would like to visit in the future?
Kamiji: There are lots, but one of the closest things we'll be doing is going to Israel in 2019, which I'm looking forward to.
I'm very grateful to have been able to go to countries that I would never have had the opportunity to visit if I wasn't a tennis player, such as the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Paralympics and Indonesia for the recent 2018 Asian Para Games.
Since I'm going there, I want to experience as many things as I can and feel once I get there.
When you tell the other person what you want them to do, they will accept it more than you can imagine.
JAL: I think there are many wheelchair users who hesitate to travel abroad. Mr. Uechi, who has traveled to many countries, please give a message to those people.
Uechi: When you go abroad, I'm sure there are many things to worry about, even during the preparation stage. I myself have had some anxiety before going, both for a match and in my personal life.
But I've never regretted going there. On the contrary, having experienced it once makes me want to go again, and just thinking about other countries is fun: what are they like? What kind of people will I meet? Will I find some delicious food?
Even now, I get excited when I think about going abroad. I think that just one trip can be the catalyst for your next trip, so I hope everyone will try it at least once.
JAL: Have you ever had an experience where you were anxious before going, but once you got there it turned out to be not as bad as you expected?
Uechi: I think the biggest worry is the language barrier. At first, I couldn't speak the language at all, so even if there was something I wanted to ask the tournament staff, I couldn't say it. Because the culture is different, you don't know how much you can ask for.
But one day, I mustered up the courage to tell them, and they said, "Of course, that's fine." I think that in many cases, people on the other side of things probably don't know what kind of support they should give to people in wheelchairs.
However, when we tell them what we want to do or what we want them to do, we find that they are more receptive than we would think.
So I think it's important to first try to express your feelings, even if only in broken Japanese.
JAL: Finally, please tell us about your next journey.
Uechi: Next, I will be heading to Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open in January 2019! I look forward to everyone's support!
Yui Kamiji
Born in 1994, she began playing wheelchair tennis at the age of 11, and in 2014, she became the third woman in history to win a Grand Slam in a calendar year in women's wheelchair tennis doubles. She is the sixth woman in history to win a Grand Slam, and her achievement at 21 years and 135 days has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "youngest woman to win a calendar year Grand Slam in wheelchair tennis."
WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
