For the first time in tennis history, a Grand Slam will organise a competition for blind and visually impaired athletes. The Australian Open 2026 Blind and Low Vision Showdown is scheduled for January 31–February 1.

Mr Takei Miyoshi invented Blind Tennis in Japan in 1984. He was a pioneer in a new racket sport and a role model to the visually impaired. He was born in 1968 and lost his eyesight at the age of one and a half. When he was 16, as a high school student, he dreamed of playing tennis with the able-bodied and created tennis for the blind.