Reid raring to go in 'toughest singles' ever

Gordon Reid is ready to take on the toughest singles competition he has faced as he goes for another Paralympic gold.

The Scottish tennis player won men’s wheelchair singles gold at Rio 2016 and bronze five years later in Tokyo as he beat out compatriot and doubles partner Alfie Hewett.

Currently ranked fifth in the world in singles, the 32-year-old knows he faces an uphill battle to add a third singles medal to his collection, but that will not put him off trying.

“I’m expecting from the tennis side, a really difficult competition, probably the toughest it has ever been, especially in the singles side,” he said.

“I’ll have to cause a couple of upsets to get on the podium so that will be tough but I will give it my best shot.

“And on the doubles side we are going in pretty confident and in good form but we know there are going to be a few teams out there gunning for us as well.

“It is going to be difficult but we are really looking forward to the challenge.”

Reid has received a bye in the first round of the men’s singles which began on Friday, but has Japanese second seed Tokito Oda and fourth seed Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina on his side of the draw.

Hewett is on the opposite side of the singles draw which means that the friends will only meet if both reach the gold medal final.

Before then, the pair will join forces in the men’s doubles as they look to secure the only title missing from their collection as a duo.

The pair have won 22 Grand Slam titles together, including the last five at the French Open, which is where the wheelchair tennis is being held at Paris 2024.

Hewett and Reid have twice won silver in the men’s doubles at the Paralympics, with their loss in Tokyo denying them the chance to complete a golden calendar slam.

The pair have already won all three Grand Slams this year, but will not get the chance to add a sixth US Open to their collection as a duo.

The final Grand Slam of the year is currently taking place in New York and as they have done at three of the last four Paralympics, the clash means the wheelchair tennis programme at Flushing Meadows has been scrapped.

But Reid and Hewett will not mind one bit if they can end the Games with gold around their necks.

“Winning gold for GB is something difficult to put into words, it is really special,” Reid, the only gold medallist in the wheelchair tennis, team said.

“It feels like you are not only winning it for yourself, you are contributing to something bigger and for your country as well.

“It is something that we don’t get to experience very often as tennis players throughout our season so having that opportunity every four years is very special, and it is something that I am excited about hopefully doing again.

“It would mean a lot, that is what I am going there to do to try and be successful and try and help to add a few more medals onto the tally for Great Britain.

“It is what we have been working hard for and what we’ve looking forward to since Tokyo and I will go out there and see what I can do.”