Wimbledon 2022 WHEELCHAIR TENNIS BY MARK DAVIDSON
Keenly contested as ever, the major rivalries in wheelchair tennis were once again battling to lift the most coveted grand slam title, with strong representation from around the globe.
For the first time since 2019, the Championships were back to full capacity with thousands watching events unfold on a daily basis. In addition, no less than 192,000 portions of strawberries along with 277,000 glasses of Pimm’s were purchased - underlining the fact that tennis would not be the same without traditional food and drink. Nearly 28,000 Championship towels were also sold to spectators who hadn’t had a chance to fully enjoy the tournament since 2019.
The first match of the men’s wheelchair singles provided a great start with Alfie Hewett taking on his double’s partner Gordon Reid, with Hewett coming out the winner in three sets. In the ladies’ event the number one seed and eventual winner Diedi De Groot began her campaign beating Wimbledon debutant Dana Mathewson of the USA 6-1, 6-1.
It is now a feature of the fortnight that many spectators are happy to soak up the atmosphere in designated picnic spots and dining areas rather than watch specific matches, all of which provide space for wheelchair users. In addition, there are large screens provided at various vantage points around the complex, allowing all the action to be covered. Alfie Hewett
Despite making his debut on grass, Brazil’s Ymanitu Silva lost in the quad singles to one of the eventual finalists, Netherland’s Niels Vink. This was also the first time Heath Davidson from Australia had competed on the surface and despite initially overcoming Britain’s Andy Lapthorne, he too lost to Niels Vink in the semi-finals. The pair of Silva and Davidson teamed up for the doubles but couldn’t progress further. They lost to the competition winners who happened to be Sam Schroder and Niels Vink once again. There was also a debut for the competition’s youngest player, Japan’s sixteen-year-old Tokito Oda. Unfortunately he was not able to progress, losing in both the wheelchair singles and doubles events. For the first time ever, matches were played on No. 1 court which saw Alfie Hewett defeat Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez in the semi-final of the singles 2-6, 7-6, 6-4. Later that evening, Hewett teamed up with his doubles partner Gordon Reid in the same location, making their way to the final by beating Tom Egberink of the Netherlands and Joachim Gerard of Belgium in three sets.
Deide De Groot
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