Wimbledon 2023: Draws announced for five British wheelchair stars looking for title challenge at SW19
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The draws for this year’s wheelchair events at The Championships, Wimbledon have been announced, as Great Britain’s Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid, Lucy Shuker, Andy Lapthorne and Greg Slade discover who they will face at SW19.
Second seed Hewett will aim to go one step further in the men’s wheelchair singles draw after his runner-up finish in 2022, starting against Belgium’s 2021 champion Joachim Gerard. Hewett leads the head-to-head against the 34-year-old for this year 2-1, with wins in Melbourne and Georgia, but the world No.4 recently claimed a three-set victory over the British star at the British Grass Court Wheelchair Tournament at the cinch Championships and currently leads Hewett 4-0 on grass.
Reid will also have a tough start against the five-time Grand Slam singles champion and world No.3 Gustavo Fernandez. 2016 Wimbledon champion Reid and 2019 champion Fernandez have faced each other 52 times in their careers, but only twice on grass, with the British star winning on both occasions (Wimbledon 2021 and British Grass Court Wheelchair Tournament 2021).
Track the Brits draws & results
Hewett and Reid will join forces once again in the men’s wheelchair doubles as they go in pursuit of an 18th career Grand Slam doubles title together. The four-time Wimbledon champions will begin their campaign with a repeat of the recent Roland Garros final against Spain’s Martin de la Puente and Argentina’s Fernandez.
Shuker will contest both the women’s wheelchair singles and doubles draws for the 13th time in 14 years at Wimbledon this year. The British No.1 will look to make a career-best semi-final at SW19 as she takes on Dutch star Aniek Van Koot in the opening round of the singles.
Shuker will then team up with Van Koot for the doubles as they face 34-time major champion Diede de Groot and fellow Dutchwoman Jiske Griffioen.
Lapthorne is set for a big opening clash with world No.1 and 2022 runner-up Niels Vink in the quarter-finals of the quad singles draw. 2019 finalist, Lapthorne, has won three singles titles already this season – including the British Grass Court Wheelchair event in Eastbourne and will be hoping his recent experience on the grass will spur him onto a strong run at Wimbledon.
Making his debut at Wimbledon this year, wild card Slade will play Australian Heath Davidson in the quarter-finals as he looks to get his first win at The Championships in front of the home crowd.
Fresh off the back of their triumph at Roland Garros – where Lapthorne won his 14th Grand Slam doubles title – the British No.1 will again team up with South African Donald Ramphadi to play Dutch duo and top seeds Vink and Sam Schroder. Lapthorne and Ramphadi defeated the world No.1 and No.2 on their way to the doubles trophy in Paris last month.
Meanwhile, Slade will partner American David Wagner against second seeds Heath Davidson and Robert Shaw.