Tennis Ace Pledges Support To Don't Quit Do It Campaign

Newly crowned Wimbledon wheelchair tennis champion  Alfie Hewett is swapping the grass of the SW19 courts for the fields and lakes of Windsor as he becomes team captain of law firm Irwin Mitchell’s Superhero Tri triathlon team.

Fresh from winning the doubles title at Wimbledon, Alfie recently became the latest athlete to sign up to support the law firm’s Don’t Quit Do It campaign to raise awareness and participation in relation to disability sports. Now he will be the firm’s official team captain for the Superhero Tri event this summer.

Irwin Mitchell is proud to once again be named as an official partner of Superhero Tri, a unique event that throws out restrictive rules and regulations to allow people with every kind of disability to take part in gutsy sporting challenges at the world-class Dorney Lake in Windsor.

Many of the firm’s clients who have suffered serious illness or injury have seen huge benefits in using sport as part of their recovery and rehabilitation.

The Series’ next event, Superhero Tri, takes place on 18 August and encourages participants with all kinds of disabilities to take part in solo or team tri challenges with as much or as little support as they need.

There is also a celebrity race, which features high-profile stars from sport and screen, and all kinds of entertainment and activities throughout the day, ensuring both participants and spectators have a super-sized fun day out. Irwin Mitchell will be showcasing its disability tennis challenge for attendees to tackle.

Expert Opinion

It’s truly inspirational to see all the participants cross the line whether they have been able to complete the challenge themselves or with support of friends and family.

“The Superhero Series allows people with all types of disability to come together and celebrate what they can achieve. Our clients who were involved last year found it has helped their rehabilitation both physically and psychologically and they had an amazing time. We are delighted to be supporting the event once again.

“We hope that people of all ages and abilities will sign up to take part and join the inclusive and community feel of the whole event as it really is a fantastic day.” Alison Eddy - Partner

Alfie and partner Gordon Reid won a third consecutive Wimbledon wheelchair doubles title on Saturday, beating  Joachim Gerard and Stefan Olsson.

Alfie said: “I’m proud to be captain of a team at the Superhero Tri event. It’s amazing to see so many people getting involved regardless of their abilities and hopefully I can inspire more people to give it a go

“Disability sports are becoming more and more popular and the mainstream media are beginning to take more notice. It’s really important that people have an outlet to help them focus on something other than just their disability. Sports can be so positive both physically and mentally.”

The 20-year-old was born with a congenital heart defect, Tetralogy of Fallot and had open heart surgery when he was just six months old. At the age of six he was then diagnosed with Perthes Disease, which is a rare condition affecting the hip.

In 2005 Alfie started to play wheelchair tennis after attending a Tennis Foundation Camp. By 2008 he was playing in his first tournament, and by 2012 was the Junior Masters singles and doubles champion.

Now Alfie has already had a spell as world number one and has won grand slam titles both individually and in doubles competition. He also won two silver medals at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's Don't Quit Do It campaign.