Following on from the success of last year’s UNIQLO ITF Next Generation Development Programme wheelchair tennis clinic in London, UNIQLO Global Ambassadors Shingo Kunieda and Gordon Reid combined again on Sunday to inspire 14 of Japan’s best young players at the latest clinic in Iizuka.

Just minutes after Tokito Oda had left Court 1 at Iizuka Sports Resort after winning his first Japan Open men’s singles title, Reid led seven of the young players aged between 9 and 17 on to the same court while Kunieda coached another seven players on an adjacent court.

The 14 young participants learned on-court skills and received career mentoring and advice from the two former world No. 1 players and former Japan Open champions.

Kunieda has a strong connection with the Japan Open, having contested the tournament 15 times between 2003 to 2019, and winning the men’s singles title a record nine times. In his first visit back to Iizuka since announcing his retirement in January, Kunieda provided the talent youngsters attending with friendly and detailed instruction on technique, such as racket grip and maintaining a centre of gravity.

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Reid, Japan Open men’s singles champion in 2017 and 2018, also provided coaching and tips.

During a question and answer session, Kunieda said: "There is no magic technique. It is important to think about tennis every day and keep practicing." Meanwhile, Reid said, "You have to keep working hard when no one is watching."

To a question on what he practised as a junior, Reid replied, "Movement (wheelchair operation). I repeated basic movements that allowed me to move around the court."

When asked what he thought about before matches, Kunieda replied, "Strategies based on the opponent I am going to face. Before the match, it's important to think about what kind of strategy you are going to use."

Reviewing a fascinating and fun clinic, Kunieda added: "I was surprised to see that all the junior athletes were even better than I had imagined. I would be happy if my coaching helps further boost the future of those who participated today, and by extension, the future of wheelchair tennis in Japan and around the world. I intend to continue to be involved in the development of the next generation in a variety of ways."

A quarter-finalist at this year’s Japan Open, Reid said: "I am very honoured to participate in the Next Generation Development Program with UNIQLO, a long-time supporter of wheelchair tennis, and to contribute to the development of this sport. I was pleased to see the junior athletes working so hard in our practice session. I hope that they will use what they learned today to continue to enjoy playing tennis, work hard in training, and grow even more."