Alfie Hewett, the British wheelchair tennis star, is determined to capture his maiden Wimbledon singles title after coming close in recent years. Despite reaching the final in both 2022 and 2023, Hewett has yet to lift the singles trophy at the All England Club.
With 27 Grand Slam titles to his name across singles and doubles, Hewett is one of the most successful wheelchair tennis players of all time. He has made significant progress on grass over the last few years and now feels confident in his ability to challenge for the Wimbledon crown.
“I love it, it gets to this time every year and everybody reminds me of the one I haven’t got,” joked Hewett, speaking to Sky Sports. “Maybe I need to ask for some tips off Gordon!
“Of course, it’s an accolade I’m desperate for and want to add to my collection. I feel like I’ve been progressing on grass over the last few years, I don’t think it was my natural surface that I played well on when I was younger, but I’m enjoying the experiences we’ve been given and I’m learning a lot.
“We haven’t played a lot of grass tennis, it’s only really been from 2016 that the singles event was introduced and we’re starting to have more tournaments on grass.”
Hewett and his long-time doubles partner, Gordon Reid, will be looking to defend their Wimbledon doubles title this year. The pair have won five doubles titles at the All England Club and will be among the favorites to retain their crown.
“I think I made a joke during the trophy ceremony after the doubles last year about the fact that at the first Wimbledon I played back in 2012 there were about three people watching, and one was my mum and one was my sister,” laughed Reid. “It’s come a long way since then!
As Alfie said, we had an amazing final at Wimbledon on Court One last year with about 10,000 people watching and with an amazing atmosphere. The sport is progressing every year at Wimbledon.”
With the Wimbledon Championships approaching, Hewett is preparing diligently, competing in tournaments on grass to gain valuable match experience. He and Reid will be aiming to make a strong run at Wimbledon and challenge for both the singles and doubles titles.
