The Paris Paralympic Games begin in less than a year. From August 28 to September 8, 2024, Switzerland will try to do as well as in Tokyo, where it shone by winning 14 medals. Raphaël Gremion, nine-time Swiss wheelchair tennis champion, is putting everything on his side to hope to be part of the Parisian trip.
Swiss athletes have shone in recent months. Thus, during the Para-athletics Worlds in Paris, Catherine Debrunner, Manuela Schär, Elena Kratter and Marcel Hug were a hit. Geneva cyclist Celine van Till won gold both at the Worlds in Glasgow and at the Europeans in Rotterdam. Without forgetting the swimmers Nora Meister and Leo McCrea and the swimmers Cynthia Mathez and Ilaria Renggli, medalists respectively at the World Championships in Manchester and the Europeans in Rottedam. A good omen before the Paris Paralympics. Swiss Paralympic will announce its selection on July 19.
Will there be Swiss in wheelchair tennis? The Zugoise Nalani Buob, 22nd player in the world, seems on track to play her 2nd Paralympic Games, after Tokyo.
As for the Swiss no1 among the Raphaël Gremion, he is working hard. “Finishing my career in Paris, moreover on the courts of Roland-Garros, for my first Paralympic Games, that would be simply brilliant, the ultimate dream”, says the smiling 47-year-old from Biel who has been playing wheelchair tennis for more than 20 years. Gremion will have to be in the top-50 to be on the Parisian trip. The countdown is on, every point counts, the room for maneuver reduced.
“There is a long way, but I believe in it”
“Currently, I am 107th in the world. There is a long way to go, but I believe in it. To get there, you have to play a lot of tournaments and be lucky in the draw. Because being completely paraplegic, you have less muscle and you you move slower than against a low amputee for example… It’s part of the game…”explains Gremion before indicating that “It’s so rewarding when you beat players who have a lower handicap than yours”.
Raphaël Gremion is playing more tournaments this year (about fifteen in total) and his employer is supporting him by giving him 4 more weeks of vacation. “I train 3 times a week for 2 hours per session, plus an hour of physiotherapy per week to recover because in a wheelchair the upper body and shoulders pick up a lot”says the 47-year-old right-hander who works 50% in a watchmaking company.
A dream at 150,000 francs
This Paralympic dream comes at a financial cost. Raphaël Gremion has budgeted 150,000 francs over the previous 18 months “Paris 2024“. “This includes training, coaches, equipment, travel… it goes quickly. We organized support dinners, restaurateurs helped me, but for the moment, I can’t reach the 150,000 honest… We tried to find sponsors from companies and private individuals. It’s not easy”. Even being Switzerland’s no1 in a wheelchair. “In Switzerland, whether you are + pedestrian + or + wheelchair +, if you don’t have your parents behind to help you, it’s very difficult. The lack of media coverage doesn’t help either”notes the Bienne who does not lose his good humor for all that.
We have to admit that the level in Switzerland is not very high. Evidenced by the Swiss Open Geneva disputed in July. Of the 10 Swiss representatives in the running, only one made it past the first round. “The fact is that the majority of Swiss people work in parallel and play tennis as a hobby. When you play against the pros, we do the best we can”explains Gremion, who managed last month in Belgium to stand up to the world No.17, the Briton Ben Bartram (0-6 6-7).
Gremion found some backing to fund his pre-Olympic season. [Miguel Bao – SRI]
In this pre-Olympic year, the 20 best in the world make a living from their sport with the financial support of their respective federations. “It’s impossible to live on prize money alone… (Editor’s note: the Japanese world no. 1 Tokito Oda received 60,000 euros after his title at Roland-Garros). Unlike other countries, we are unfortunately not affiliated with Swiss Tennis, but with the Swiss Paraplegic Association, in Nottwil, which brings together all handicap sports. Sports that get results get more financial support… I’m no1 in Switzerland but only 107th in the world. Starting from this principle, we necessarily have fewer assists in tennis.specifies Gremion who also regrets that there is no real succession in Switzerland due in particular to the difficulty of this sport.
“In basketball or in athletics, you get results faster. In tennis, you first have to learn to move while holding the racket. It’s terrible at the beginning. Then it’s about being well placed on the ball… Personally, it took me a year to successfully manage the movements”, tells us Gremion, who lost the use of his legs in October 1998 during a car accident. “When you find yourself paraplegic, you have to relearn everything. I started playing at the end of 1999. Since I was playing tennis before the accident, I continued. My goal was to become the Swiss no. 12 years to get there.
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Raphaël Gremion is already satisfied with his career. “Basically, I wanted to be Swiss champion, Swiss no1 and compete in a World Cup. Now, I have won 9 Swiss championship titles, Swiss no1 for 9 years and I have competed in 4 World Cups… “. Objectives therefore largely exceeded. “I needed a new challenge. Trying to participate in the Paralympics… It would really be the icing on the cake”.
Whether or not he wins his ticket to Paris, Raphaël Gremion will continue to have fun on the courts. “But I will play less tournaments. I will not think about the rankings anymore. It will be just for fun”. And the Swiss no1 concludes: “You will have to come and take my title of Swiss champion from me. I’m not going to give it away like that”. This tournament will be held this year from September 15 to 17 in Bulle.
Miguel Bao – @migbao
2023-08-31 16:52:22
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