Retired wheelchair tennis great Shingo Kunieda on Tuesday lauded Japanese compatriot Tokito Oda after the 17-year-old became the discipline's youngest Grand Slam winner at this month's French Open.
Kunieda, 39, who retired in January after winning 28 Grand Slams and three Paralympic gold medals, is happy to witness the meteoric rise of Oda, who beat top-seeded Alfie Hewett of Britain for the title at Roland Garros.
"The final was perfect too. It had me sensing that there is going to be a long Oda reign," Kunieda said.
The sport's long-time frontrunner revealed he helped Oda before the French Open by practicing together on a clay court at the youngster's request.
"I taught him something that could be called a secret, a tactic," said Kunieda before talking up Oda's potential. "There has been no one in history with that high level of perfection at such a young age," he said. "He has what it takes to create a new world in wheelchair tennis."