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DAfter he had won the singles title /at the Beijing Paralympics, /Shingo
declared /that he would turn professional /in 2009. // OHe was the first Japanese
wheelchair tennis player /to do that. // @Being a professional /in a wheelchair sport
linvolves many challenges /that need to be overcome. // 5 For one thing, /it is
difficult for players /to find sponsors, /and many of them lack funds /for their tennis.
1-OStill, /Shingo decided to bea professional /because he believed /there was an
important meaning in it. // ®He says:/
BI want to play /in a full stadium someday, and inspire disabled children /to
dream, “T want to be a wheelchair tennis player:" // @It is just like the way
lable-bodied children dream/about being a soccer or baseball player. //
OI also want people /to become interested in wheelchair tennis. / @So I'II
play tennis /not only to win, /but also to fascinate people /by winning. I/
In London in 2012, /Shingo won the singles title /at two consecutive
Paralympics.// ③He plays to win titles, /hoping that his actions will encourage
children /to have dreams and hopes, just like the ones /he had as a boy./