There’s another Scottish world number one in tennis.
Fresh from the success of the Murray brothers, wheelchair tennis star – and a regular of the University of Stirling’s courts – Gordon Reid will finish the year on top of the world following his success in 2016.
Brig Sport’s Andrew Baxter looks back at Reid’s tremendous year.
A version of this profile appeared in the September 2016 edition of Brig
Gordon Reid has had a fantastic couple of years. With success in both the wheelchair singles and wheelchair doubles, he is forging his legacy in tennis history.
There are few better players in the world right now than Reid. Having been crowned as singles number one just months after achieving the same accolade in the doubles format, his dominance across both formats of the game has seen him rack up Grand Slam victory after Grand Slam victory.
In the doubles, Reid hasn’t failed to qualify for a Grand Slam final since Wimbledon 2014. During that time, he has picked up two French Open titles, a US Open title, and of course the Wimbledon title this year. Partnered with Alfie Hewett, they beat the French pairing of Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Piefer 4-6, 6-1, 7-6, to round off a sensational summer for British tennis.
In the singles, Reid has reached the final of all three Grand Slams in 2016. A victory in the Australian Open final was followed up by a narrow defeat in the French Open, but his memorable Wimbledon win saw him win the first ever wheelchair singles championship at SW19. Reid didn’t drop a set throughout the entire tournament, and beat Sweden’s Stefan Olsson in straight sets to carry on this dominance.
The Paralympics, too, saw Reid reach the pinnacle of his sport. A silver medal alongside Alfie Hewett in the doubles was followed by a first Paralympic gold medal, a fantastic achievement for the Gannochy regular.
At just 24 years of age, too, Reid has a long career still ahead of him, and in his current vein of form there is every suggestion that he may become the most decorated British tennis player in history.
His story is another example of the success that Scottish tennis is enjoying at the minute. Andy Murray is the poster-boy for this success, clinching his second Wimbledon title this summer, but the likes of Jamie Murray have also been successful in recent years.
After a successful Olympics for the University of Stirling, Reid – a former student at Scotland’s university for sporting excellence – will be looking to continue that trend into the Paralympics this September.
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