Alex Jewitt is part of the Tennis Foundation's Wheelchair Tennis Performance Programme and has been selected by the British Paralympic Association to represent ParalympicsGB at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. He will compete in the men's division at Eton Manor in the Olympic Park.
Home Town: Sheffield
Lives: Sheffield
Trains: Graves Tennis Centre, Sheffield
Date Of Birth: 5th August 1976
Games Attended: Beijing 2008
Having always enjoyed racket sports, Alex played recreational tennis when he was younger and also played badminton at County level. He began to take a more serious interest in wheelchair tennis after graduating with a BSc in Business Information Systems in 2005.
His proudest moment in the sport was representing ParalympicsGB at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
Alex broke his back in an industrial accident in late November 1997. His injury level is T12.
Alex tells us how playing the test event at Eton Manor earlier in the year will stand him in good stead for the real thing in just over a week's time.
"It was a great honour to be the first one ever to play on Centre," said Jewitt, who is part of the Tennis Foundation's Wheelchair Tennis Performance Team.
"There was not many people there because it was a closed event but I'm sure the atmosphere will be very different next week.
"I'd love to play there again. It's a fantastic place and probably the biggest court I have ever played on so far.
"I've been having the work done to my house and been trying to sort out all my stuff – passport, spare chairs, things like that – so I've not really sat and thought about how big it will be.
"I think I'm prepared for every eventuality apart from snow now so I can finally focus on the tennis and I can't wait."
Jewitt finalised his London 2012 preparations by reaching the last 16 at the British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Nottingham last month.
Since then, Jewitt was part of a 'Flame Festival', organised by Paralympic sponsors Sainsbury's, where he got his hands on the Paralympic torch which will be used to transfer the flame from Stoke Mandeville to London next week.
And he added: "It was great to be part of the festival and to get my hands on a torch. There was also a torch from the 1948 Games in London so to see them both was brilliant.
"I suppose it made the whole thing a bit more real and that the Games are coming to this country. The Olympics was fantastic and the British public really got behind them. But I'm convinced the Paralympics will be just as special and I can't wait to be part of it."
To find out more about Alex, visit the British Paralympic Association website.
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