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‘It’s a fresh start’: Reid and Hewett hungry for 10 in a row at French Open
Wheelchair tennis pairing have overcome ‘massive cloud’ that looked like splitting them up, and are confident of another title
“We’re excited to get back to Paris,” says Alfie Hewett, and there’s a good reason why: he and his partner Gordon Reid are looking for their 10th consecutive grand slam title at Roland Garros this week. “I’m feeling confident, he’s feeling confident and, obviously, we’re on a bit of a roll,” he says with a grin.
Speak to the pre-eminent pairing in men’s wheelchair tennis, however, and it’s clear that the reasons for enthusiasm go deeper than the prospect of more competitive success. Barely nine months ago, the normally photogenic duo were sitting pale-faced and drawn in the shadows of Tokyo’s Ariake Tennis Park having lost out on their dream of a Paralympic gold medal. Worse than that, it looked to be the last time they would ever play with each other, with Hewett set to be disqualified from the sport due to a reclassification of his disability.
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