With less than 40 days to go until the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games get underway, ParalympicsGB can announce the six players selected to the Wheelchair tennis team.
Newly crowned Wimbledon men’s singles champion and three-time Paralympic silver medallist Alfie Hewett, his doubles partner and Rio 2016 men’s singles gold medallist Gordon Reid, Ben Bartram and Dahnon Ward will contest the men’s singles and doubles draws in Paris.
Experienced Paralympians and multiple medallists Lucy Shuker and Andy Lapthorne are named in the team to compete in the women’s wheelchair and quad wheelchair draws respectively.
Set to make her fifth Paralympic Games appearance is Shuker, already a three-time women’s doubles medallist, who made history alongside the now-retired Jordanne Whiley at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020. Shuker and Whiley became the first female players to win a wheelchair tennis medal for ParalympicsGB at London 2012 before upgrading two successive bronze medals to a first women’s doubles silver medal for a British pairing at Tokyo 2020.
Shuker commented: “It’s an incredible achievement to have qualified directly for my fifth Paralympic Games and an absolute honour to put on a ParalympicsGB tracksuit and represent my country.
“I love the excitement that begins with the Olympics and then to see the Paralympics unfold showcasing what athletes with all sorts of disabilities can achieve. It’s a time that unites the world and I can’t wait to be a part of it.
“This will be the first Games since London that is taking place so close to home and I can’t wait to have the support of family and friends who will experience the Paralympics for themselves.”
Lapthorne will represent ParalympicsGB for the fourth time – the 33-year-old three-time medallist’s Paralympic highlights to date including the quad singles silver medal at Rio 2016.
Nineteen-year-old Bartram, from Sprowston, Norfolk, also made his Wimbledon debut last week, and is relishing his first Paralympic Games after being inspired by Rio 2016, where British Wheelchair tennis players finished top of their medal table.
He said: “I’m so incredibly excited and proud to be going to my first Paralympic Games. My interest in wheelchair tennis started with watching Alfie (Hewett) play in Rio. Since then, the sport has taken me on an amazing journey and I’m so excited for everything that’s ahead over the coming weeks. It’s going to be so special to have family and friends in Paris supporting me and I can’t thank everyone enough for the support that they’ve given me to get to this stage. I can’t wait to get out there and give it my all.”
Also making his debut in ParalympicsGB’s Wheelchair tennis team, Ward will turn 19 two days before the start of the Paris 2024 Wheelchair tennis event. He and Bartram have developed through the sport’s junior ranks together, winning Junior Masters and US Open junior titles.
Penny Briscoe, Chef de Mission at ParalympicsGB for Paris 2024, commented: “The squad boasts an impressive blend of seasoned Paralympic Games veterans and exciting debutants. Many of the men’s and women’s players have already made a significant impact on the World and European stages in recent years. Now, they are looking to make their own history in Paris.
“The skill, speed, and excitement of this sport are set to captivate audiences across the globe, and we can’t wait to see them in action this summer.”
Wheelchair tennis will take place at Roland Garros on 30 August – 7 September, with the iconic venue becoming the first Grand Slam tennis venue to ever be used for a Paralympic wheelchair tennis event and also the venue where world No.1 Hewett won the first of what are now nine Grand Slam singles titles in 2017.
A total of around 220 athletes from 19 sports are expected to make up the British team that will compete in Paris, with further names to be announced by ParalympicsGB in the coming days. At Tokyo 2020 ParalympicsGB won medals across a record breaking 18 different sports – the highest number of any nation ever. ParalympicsGB finished second on the medal table with 124 medals overall, including 41 gold, 38 silver and 45 bronze.
Erik Koers, Head of the LTA’s Wheelchair Tennis Performance Pathway and Team Leader for Wheelchair tennis at Paris 2024, commented: ”I’m extremely excited that we can announce a ParalympicsGB Wheelchair tennis team that combines tremendous success and experience in the special arena of Paralympic competition with the youth and exciting potential provided by our two debutants, Ben and Dahnon.
“Our four experienced Paralympians are all multiple medallists and all six players have achieved a wealth of success at the highest level outside of the Paralympic Games. Combining this with the invaluable experience of our coaching and support staff, we look forward to continuing to work towards a very special Games and ensuring that all of our players are as best prepared as they can be to deliver performance that we know they are capable of.”
The six Wheelchair tennis team members selected to compete for ParalympicsGB in Paris, are:
Ben Bartram, 19, Sprowston, Norwich
Events – men’s singles and doubles
Alfie Hewett, 26, Cantley, Norwich,
Events – men’s singles and doubles
Andy Lapthorne, 33, Eastcote, Middlesex
Events – quad singles and doubles (TBC)
Gordon Reid, 32, Helensburgh/Glasgow, Scotland
Events – men’s singles and doubles
Lucy Shuker, 44, Verwood, Dorset
Events – women’s singles and doubles (TBC)
Dahnon Ward, 18, Kegworth, Derbys/Leics
Events – men’s singles and doubles
With thanks to ParalympicsGB
