One-on-one with Stéphane Houdet

Rolandgarros.com went to meet Frenchman Stéphane Houdet ahead of his final against reigning champion and No1 seed Shingo Kunieda on Saturday. Houdet is currently ranked No2 in the world just five short years after starting out on the wheelchair tennis circuit. "Aim for the moon and even if you miss, you’ll be amongst the stars.” Stéphane Houdet likes to use a quote from Oscar Wilde to sum up his philosophy in life. The Paralympic medalist, who struck gold in the men’s wheelchair doubles alongside Michaël Jérémiasz in 2008, is certainly amongst the stars of the wheelchair tennis world, occupying the No2 spot since the 20 April 2009. "I met up with a friend of mine in China last summer during the Olympic Games,” says the 38-year-old Frenchman who has only been on the circuit since 2005. “He’d cycled all the way from Paris to Beijing. The first thing he said when he arrived was, ‘You’ve really got an amazing life, travelling around the world playing tennis. If you hadn’t had your accident you’d still be doing caesareans in the heart of the countryside.’ I’m well aware of that and live every day to the full.” A practicing veterinarian, this divorced father of four’s life underwent radical change in 1996. He was left without the use of his legs after a motorcycle accident at age 26. Five years later, he began to play golf, and became the champion of Europe. He met former footballer Johan Cryuff on the greens and told him about his plan to play in the world circuit. Cryuff, head of a foundation that supports sports for handicapped children worldwide, was sold on the idea. He agreed to give Houdet the opportunity to discover a new world. “I started on the ITF circuit as an organiser,” remembers Stéphane. A few weeks later in December his leg was amputated. “I knew that I wouldn’t be able to play golf for four years, so I turned to tennis.” Houdet has not left the circuit since, reaching the world No2 ranking at the beginning of the year, behind the untouchable Shingo Kunieda of Japan. A full-time professional with a sports contract, Houdet has just one goal: to be number one. “I was number one in golf. I’m going to do the same in tennis. Stéphane quickly tasted victory on the courts. One year after his debut, he won the doubles title at Roland Garros with Michael Jérémiasz, then world No1. “I went to see him and told him that I wanted to play with him. My game was horrible, and he was on top in singles and doubles. Apart from a five-month break because of Mike’s injured shoulder, we’ve played all the big tournaments together. Now the student has outshined his master, who sits at the No4 position in the world rankings. “My progress was impressive in six months, especially in my mobility,” comments Houdet. And how does the aggressive player assume his father role? “My children live with their mother. I try not to spoil them too much by bringing them presents all the time. I want to be an example for them and show them that anything is possible in life.” His children, two pairs of twins, are here to cheer him on at Roland Garros and will be cheering him in the final. A first Grand Slam victory would be made all the more beautiful..