Gerard ready to turn Grand Slam form into Paralympic gold in Tokyo

Belgium’s Joachim Gerard has designs on upgrading the bronze medal he won in Rio de Janeiro five years ago when the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Tennis Event gets underway later this month.

Gerard heads to the Japanese capital in prime form after securing two of the season’s three Grand Slam titles, having won the men’s wheelchair singles at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.  

The 32-year-old ensured his place in Paralympic history in the shadow of Christ the Redeemer back in 2016 following victory against France’s Stephane Houdet in the bronze medal match. The target now is another medal, but perhaps one of a different colour.

“I want to be there, to go there and to enjoy, especially as it’s Tokyo and I love the country, I love their mentality and their culture, so why not come back with a better medal than five years ago?,” said Gerard.

“There are others, like me, that deserve to arrive at the level to win the gold medal. We are all people who have dreams, so we give everything to reach them. It’s always a pleasure to meet them. 

“To come back with the gold is one of my goals. I want to do it. There are many, many players who want to bring it back home too. I will do my best and come back with what I deserve to come back with, but the gold medal is always a goal.

“I will give everything to come back from Tokyo with a gold medal.”

Gerard admits his biggest opponent in Tokyo will be himself, a rival he concedes he remains “scared of”, given his propensity to sometimes deliver his best tennis on the biggest of stages, while failing to do so on other occasions.  

Only time will tell how that particular battle unfolds but, for Gerard, merely competing at the Games and mingling with other para-sport stars is sufficient validation of his career trajectory.

“It’s always a pleasure to say, ‘ok, yeah I went to the Paralympics’,” added Gerard, who is set to appear at his fourth Paralympic Games. “It is also always nice to tell yourself that you deserve to be among the elite of your sport and your country. That means a lot for me.”

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic wheelchair tennis event starts on Friday 27 August (with the Opening Ceremony of the Games kicking off on Tuesday 24 August). The medal matches are due to take place on 1-4 September.

Click here for more information about the Paralympic schedule