11 January 2019

Reid pays tribute to Murray as he closes in on silverware in Australia

Paralympic champion Gordon Reid admitted he was emotional watching fellow Scot and friend Andy Murray announce his plans to retire from tennis after this year’s Wimbledon.

The 27-year-old became friends with Murray after bumping into him and Jamie Murray in the locker rooms following his victory in the wheelchair singles at the 2016 Australian Open.

Murray went on to win Wimbledon for a second time in 2016 – the same year Reid made history at the event by winning the inaugural men’s wheelchair singles competition.

And Reid said Murray, who is struggling to recover from hip surgery, will be missed by everyone in tennis after watching his tearful press conference ahead of next week’s Australian Open.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, Reid said: “It’s a really emotional thing to watch. It’s somebody who’s having something thrust upon him, forced upon him, that he doesn’t want to do.

“He doesn’t want to end his career short; it’s difficult to see him going through that much pain.

“Andy’s somebody who will always be able to say that he’s done absolutely everything and turned every stone to try and prolong his career.

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It’s somebody who’s having something thrust upon him, forced upon him...

Gordon Reid on Murray's retirement announcement

“He’s not somebody that will go out with regrets thinking ‘I wish I’d done that’ and ‘I wish I’d done a little bit different’.

“But obviously it’s still really difficult, and horrible for him, and I think everybody in tennis [is] going to miss him.”

Reid was speaking after booking his place in the final of the men’s doubles at the Bendigo Wheelchair Tennis Open alongside Argentine partner Gustavo Fernandez.

The second seeds beat Japanese pair Shingo Kunieda and Takashi Sanada, who were seeded fourth, 6-1 6-2 to set up a final against top seeds Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer of France.

Reid also has a chance to reach the final in the men’s singles after seeing off Belgium’s Joachim Gerard, the tournament’s third seed, 6-0 6-2 in their quarter-final clash.

A familiar face awaits the sixth seed in the last four, though, with doubles partner Fernandez standing in his way after a 6-0 6-1 win over Maikel Scheffers of the Netherlands.

Reid played with his fellow Scot during Andy Murray Live at the SSE Hydro in 2016

Reid, an 11-time Grand Slam winner across singles and doubles competition, is not the only Brit with a shot at silverware as Lucy Shuker could also claim glory in Australia.

The three-time Paralympian is through to the final in the women’s doubles alongside Japan’s Manami Tanaka after the second seeds won their semi-final battle.

Shuker and Tanaka overcame Thai pair Wanitha Inthanin and Sakhorn Khanthasit in three sets, coming from behind after losing the first to triumph 4-6 7-5 6-1.

It sets up a mouth-watering final against the top seeds Marjolein Buis of the Netherlands and Japan’s Yui Kamiji, who beat Hui Min Huang and Zhenzhen Zhu of China 6-1 6-1 in the last four.

Shuker was unable to progress in the women’s singles, however, where she lost to fourth seed Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa in three sets, 6-3 1-6 6-3, in their quarter-final.

Elsewhere, three-time Paralympic medallist Andy Lapthorne was knocked out at the semi-final stage in the men’s singles of the quads competition.

The 28-year-old, who won silver and bronze in the quad singles and doubles respectively at Rio 2016, was eliminated after losing 7-5 6-3 to doubles partner and second seed David Wagner.

But Lapthorne will still contest the final of the quad doubles alongside American Wagner, with the reigning US Open champions set to face Dylan Alcott and Heath Davidson.

Sportsbeat 2019

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