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Gordon Reid was flying. A half-dozen games into his first wheelchair singles match at Wimbledon, the Australian Open champion found himself 5-1 up against France’s Nicolas Peifer, on the cusp of a one-set lead.
Then it hit him: he was about to win his first set at The Championships. The Court 17 crowd was cheering with every point. The Duchess of Cambridge was watching his match from the Press Centre balcony. This was the first day of the first wheelchair singles tournament in Wimbledon history – and he was part of it – and winning.
“Then I think I got a little bit distracted by the surroundings and the scenario I actually found myself in,” Reid admitted. “It was a bit surreal.
“The first time I looked up to the balcony there was this bright yellow dress – that was pretty special! The Duchess came out and watched pretty much the whole first set – that was cool to have that support today.
“It was just everything in general, the whole occasion. It’s the first time I’ve played a singles match here – just looking around at a packed crowd with some big names watching threw me a little bit, but not for too long, and I managed to refocus.”
The thunderbolt rocked him for a couple of games, but a break for the Frenchman soon woke him up.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play singles here,” he admitted after the 6-3, 6-4 win.
“To actually go out there and experience it today, to feel what it’s like to win a singles match here, was incredible.”
It’s been a surreal few days for the 24-year-old Scot. On Saturday he was among the invitees to sit in the Royal Box on Centre Court alongside fellow British wheelchair Grand Slam champion Jordanne Whiley and a host of fellow sporting luminaries including David Beckham, Stuart Broad, Brian O’Driscoll, John McEnroe and countryman Sir Chris Hoy.
Reid was also among the players and officials to greet the Duchess of Cambridge, who visited The Championships on Thursday.
“She was telling me that William plays a bit of tennis,” he said. “He’s a lefty as well, so I told her that all the best ones are!”
First introduced at The Championships in 2001, wheelchair tennis now features both singles and doubles draws at all four Grand Slams. The only difference between the wheelchair sport and the standard version is the addition of a second bounce between shots. And, like the standard version, the surface has a significant impact on the way the game is played.
“It’s weird – I think everybody was kind of nervous and excited at the same time,” said Jiske Griffioen, winner of three of the last five Grand Slams. For the Dutchwoman, like many of the 16 players in action, this was her first singles match on grass.
“Everyone was like, OK this is great, but who’s going to be good on grass? How are points going to look – are they going to be short? Is this going to be fun? That was the atmosphere that was buzzing around.”
Grass poses a unique challenge to wheelchair players, Griffioen explained. “You notice that it’s really hard to push on the court. It’s really hard to dig in, so it’s really hard to get to the balls. There were some short points – they’re a little bit shorter than hard or clay courts, but that’s the same for everyone to be honest. I think it was fun.”
Griffioen is one of three Dutch players through to the semi-finals after beating Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrook 6-4, 6-4. Joining her are compatriots Marjolein Buis and Aneik Van Koot, along with Whiley, a 6-1, 6-1 winner over fellow Briton and doubles partner Lucy Shuker.
Reid’s win sent him through to a semi-final showdown with Belgium’s Joachim Gerard, a rematch of January’s Australian Open final. The Scot, another player with no previous grass court singles experience, picked big-serving Gerard as the pre-tournament favourite, but is determined to reach his third consecutive Grand Slam final – particularly with the chance to make history on home soil on the line.
“I remember sitting in the locker just after the match, and thought to myself it just felt like it was over in a flash. The match was over an hour and it felt like it went by in two minutes,” added Reid, thrilled by his first experience of wheelchair singles at The Championships.
“I think it’s massive for our sport. It’s only going to raise the profile. I think a lot of people are starting to enjoy wheelchair tennis. We’re beginning to grow a bigger fan base, with more interest from sponsors, the media. And now we’ve got the complete set of singles and doubles at the Grand Slams. It’s a really good platform for us to keep growing the sport.”
