Lapthorne embracing the familiar and new at Wheelchair Tennis Masters
There are few things in wheelchair tennis as enduring as NEC’s sponsorship of the sport and as the 30th year of NEC’s title sponsorship of the NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters continues, there are few things on show this week at the year-end championships in Barcelona that are as enduring as the rivalry between Britain’s Andy Lapthorne and the USA’s David Wagner.
The second of seven days of play saw Lapthorne and Wagner face off for the 76th time since 2010 and for the 10th time at the Singles Masters since 2011. On the other hand, while their doubles partnership is not new – indeed it dates back to 2014 – it’s the first time that the Anglo-American pairing have teamed up to contest the ITF Wheelchair Doubles Masters.
“It’s a difficult thing to play your doubles partner and someone that I know so well, but it’s something that we've got used to over the years and we'll put it to the side and play doubles this afternoon and try and do as well as we can,” said Lapthorne after beating Wagner in the second of the three round-robin group matches for both players.
Their first tournament as a pair in 2014 brought the first of six Grand Slam titles together when they triumphed at the Australian Open and they were the first quad doubles partnership to complete a career Grand Slam together when they were victorious at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2021.
“We’re very experienced now at playing each other in the morning then having to play doubles in the afternoon, so it shouldn't be a problem,” added Lapthorne, voicing the thoughts likely shared by a number of players competing at the Emilio Sanchez Academy this week who are in a similar situation.
“It's a great rivalry, he's a good friend and I’m just really pleased to come out on the right side of the match this time,” said Lapthorne, who was the first player to take defending quad singles champion Sam Schroder to three sets on Monday’s opening day of play. Schroder was taken to a deciding set on Tuesday’s second day of competition, too.
Coming into his match against 11-time champion Wagner, four-time Singles Masters finalist Lapthorne had won just five of his 15 matches against fellow top 10 players this season. However, he feels in good shape for the year-end championships on the 2023 UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour.
“My form coming in here has definitely improved. To win two matches at the US Open in New York has given me a lot of confidence. It was a good match against Sam yesterday. Unfortunately, I couldn't come out on the right side of it, but to be that close with one of the top players in the world and the current US Open champion is a good sign of good form. Obviously I'm hoping to carry that on for the rest of the week.”
Hope springs eternal, so the saying goes. But something that is far from eternal – in fact it’s brand new this week for the 38 players contesting the Singles and Doubles Masters – is that the year-end showcase is taking place on clay for the first time.
“The Masters being played on clay is definitely something different. I would prefer it if it was being played in the UK on an indoor hardcourt, but it's a great venue here," said Lapthorne. “We're being looked after well and I’m really enjoying my time in Barcelona.”