Game-changer Reid targets further Grand Slam joy ahead of Hewett clash

A decade has passed since Great Britain’s Gordon Reid won his sole Australian Open singles title, while a few months later he lifted silverware at Wimbledon in singles and doubles. He has not added to his Grand Slam singles haul since. 

There have, however, been a further – and astonishing – 26 Grand Slam doubles titles, the bulk in tandem with Alfie Hewett.

On the opening day of the men’s singles draw at the Australian Open Wheelchair Championships, 34-year-old Reid was quick out of the blocks, seeing off Australian wildcard Anderson Parker 6-3 6-2 in just 56 minutes.

A good six hours later he fronted up in tandem with Hewett in the men's doubles, with the No. 1 seeds dispatching Tom Egberink and Takuya Miki 6-0 6-4 in 60 minutes precisely. 

Tomorrow morning, Reid and Hewett are scheduled on Margaret Court Arena, although this time not together, rather in direct competition. 

Hewett leads the head-to-head 37-14 and while clearly anything can happen, the odds would appear in favour of the reigning Australian Open singles champion, who has 10 Grand Slam singles titles across the board.

Reid has not discounted the possibility of another singles title triumph but points to the changing of the guard within the sport, and the emergence of harder-hitting players such as Tokito Oda (remarkably still only 19-years-old), who is gunning for his fourth consecutive Grand Slam singles title.

“He came onto the scene very quickly as a young kid with no fear, and the way this sport has gone, especially in the singles, it’s now very much about serve and attack,” said Reid.

“There’s not many rallies that extend beyond that in a singles match, to be honest, because players are playing so aggressively and taking the ball so early in the return.

“I think he's brought in a strong serve and attack and that's amazing. I guess it will become a cyclical game where people find changes and it will change again.”

Despite being deeply proud of all his Grand Slam achievements, Reid counts – in this the 50th anniversary year for wheelchair tennis – the singles gold he won at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 and doubles gold with Hewett at Paris 2024 as his career apex.

“I still believe that is the hardest thing to do in the sport because you only get one opportunity every four years,” he added.

While appreciative of the brilliance and evolution of Oda and the like, the immensely likeable Reid is most certainly not giving up the dream of more Grand Slam singles glory.

“I'm trying my best and I'm working hard," he said. "I am trying to transform my game in line with what I said about the style, the way the game has changed, because that's not natural to me.

“I like to try and build a point a bit more and use my variety to create space on the court, but the reality is that most tennis, and the men's game in particular, is just not like that anymore. It’s serve, return – bang, bang, bang. So, for me, it's been a shift in my game but also mentally as well.

“I've been close, I've been close a couple of times [to further Grand Slam singles success]. It’s going to be tough, but I'm feeling good about where I'm going.”

A full list of results from the 2026 Australian Open Wheelchair Championships is available here.