Relief for Norfolk's wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett as he gets green light to keep playing

Alfie Hewett has spoken of his relief following a new sporting classification that means his grand slam winning tennis career can continue.

He had been facing retirement at the age of 23 because of potential rule changes.

He tweeted on Monday evening that he wanted to share some good news:

In his celebratory tweet he said, "After a long period of uncertainty about my future in wheelchair tennis I can gladly say based on the new sport specific criteria I can continue playing."

"It’s been some two and a bit years to reflect, I couldn’t possibly sum up the emotion of it all but what I can say is I wouldn’t have been so strong without the support of people close to me and all your messages."

"Excited to make more memories like this and put it all behind me. Thank you," he concluded.

Hewett has Perthes Disease which affects his hip, and he had been told reclassification rules two years ago would make him ineligible.

However, he appealed and the rules have now been reviewed to include players being independently assessed.