Back-to-Back Para-Standing Oceania Championships for Alex Hunt

Photo: (From left to right) Alex Hunt, Novak Djokovic, Billy Harris and Sir Andy Murray on court in Melbourne.

It’s about more than the titles for Alex Hunt (even though he’s winning them).

Born and bred in Nelson, Alex is now the back-to-back Para-Standing PST 1 Oceania Tennis Champion after defending his title against Aussie native Brett Hillier 6-4, 6-1 in Melbourne.

He adds that to his European title, and World Championship title, the latter won last year in Turin. However, it’s secondary to the support and the feeling of home he’s found within the para-standing community.

“The numbers nearly doubled from last year’s tournament,” Alex said, reflecting on the event. “We had people come from Europe, Brazil, Japan, from all over. It’s epic to see the numbers growing.”

Para-standing tennis is a format of tennis for people with physical disabilities who play without using a wheelchair. It has seen significant global growth, particularly in the last two years. It follows the same rules as able-bodied tennis, except in some categories where players are allowed two bounces.

Alex was born without most of his left arm, but that never stopped him from competing in able-bodied tennis.

“All the years of able-bodied tennis I played, I never really saw others like me. But with para-standing tennis, all these other people who, like me, wanted to play tennis but couldn’t push a wheelchair, have come out of the woodwork.”

“We share stories, we play great tennis, and I’m seeing their lives change alongside mine.”

And play great tennis he did, only dropping four games en route to the final.

“The first set against Brett in the final was really competitive. He served really well—any time I had a breakpoint opportunity or worked my way into his service game, he’d hit the lines on the clay. It was brutally hot, so after I snuck the first set, he started to wear down.”

In the doubles, Brett got his revenge (alongside partner Michele Windsor), beating Alex and his partner Adam Hills in a thrilling final that ended in a 13-11 match tiebreak.

“Adam is literally a comedian—usually my cheeks hurt from laughing so much on court with him. But we weren’t laughing out there; it was a serious and intense match.”

Alex revels in the competition, having spent most of his life playing able-bodied tennis and even earning an official ATP point a few years ago.

“If you had asked me two years ago if there was anyone out there playing high-level tennis with a similar disability to me, I wouldn’t have been sure. But now, through the growth of para-standing tennis, there are several players who can beat me. I need to be on my A-game or I’m in trouble.”

When asked about who in particular to watch out for, Alex had a number of names, including a fellow kiwi.

“I’ve had great battles with a Japanese player Kenichi Takano, he has a very similar arm disability to me. Also Thalita Rodrigues, she’s from Brazil, she’s a beast. As well as being the top woman, she can destroy the men too.”

“Wojtek Czyz is a great player, and relatively new to tennis which is amazing. He often plays in a different category to me, but it’s great to have another Kiwi competing at the same tournaments.”

The para-standing community is made up of a number of incredible players, each with a unique story.

“Sometimes I’m in awe of the other players around me. It’s so interesting to see what different people's strengths are. If they have cerebral palsy and their movement is impaired, they hit the ball super clean. Meanwhile, you’ve got the player with no arms, who moves incredibly well so he has more time to line up his shot using his armpit—it’s quite incredible to see.”

Surrounded by incredible stories, Alex certainly has one of his own. Earning an ATP point brought a wave of media attention that unexpectedly affected his game.

“All of a sudden, the BBC, the Tennis Channel—they all wanted to talk to me. My whole life, my parents did a great job of helping me feel like I wasn’t different, and then suddenly, I felt really different. People started showing up to my matches and pointing me out. I definitely struggled with the attention for a few months.”

But the people close to Alex helped him turn it into a positive, allowing him to use his platform to inspire others with disabilities to get involved in sport.

“That’s why I do it. That’s the dream—knowing I may have helped someone believe they can play sport. While competing at the World Champs in Turin, I had two juniors come up to me and say I was the reason they started playing tennis. I had my parents there, and it was quite a special, full-circle moment.”

Alex’s time in Melbourne ended in spectacular fashion, meeting Novak Djokovic and Sir Andy Murray, who were practicing with world number 129 Billy Harris ahead of Djokovic’s Australian Open campaign.

“Billy is a good friend of mine, and asked if I wanted to come to the courts while he practiced with Novak, which I obviously jumped at. Novak actually reached out to me on Instagram when I got my ATP point a few years ago, so I was wondering if he might see my arm and remember, but he was in game mode. It was awesome to see the man at work.”

2025 looks busy for Alex, with several major tournaments and title defenses to think about, especially the World Champs in Barcelona in the middle of the year. But always on the back of his mind is the continued growth of this format of tennis.

“I love the feel it’s got at the moment. The environment of para-standing tennis—everyone wants everyone to succeed. I really don’t want it to lose that, but there are long-term goals of seeing this format officially incorporated at Grand Slams, and even the Paralympics.”

“Above all, we can’t lose the community aspect—the sense that anyone can be part of this sport, that there’s a place for everyone.”