Shuker bows out of Wimbledon and calls time on Grand Slam career
Great Britain’s Lucy Shuker has given the clearest indication yet that this year’s Wimbledon will be the final Grand Slam appearance of her long and distinguished career.
The 46-year-old’s involvement at the 2026 Wimbledon Wheelchair Championships is at an end after she and her doubles partner Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa crashed out of the women’s doubles.
Shuker did not completely rule out competing at another Grand Slam in future should the opportunity arise, but did suggest that was unlikely and there was every chance this would her last.
There was a similar vibe when it came to the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour. Shuker has no official retirement date in mind, but the expectation is she will be competing less than she has previously.
“I’d play Wimbledon again, but it is the grind to qualify – it is not a given,” said Shuker. “I didn’t qualify directly this year and it’s tough with my disability, my age and the other girls are hitting bigger and faster.
“I haven’t stopped loving tennis – that is not the issue. I would be back for another year but that would mean the grind for another year and it’s not going to happen.
“I haven’t got a definite retirement date in mind. Like I say, I still love tennis and I am still playing well. I am just not looking at the rankings and not pushing. Hopefully I won’t be away from the Tour, I will just be there in a different dynamic.”
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One milestone that Shuker still has her sights firmly set upon is sealing her 100th doubles title on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour. She is currently two short on 98 but there are tournaments coming up which could see her reach a quite incredible century.
But whichever way you look at it, Shuker has enjoyed a fabulous career. While she has not managed to lift Grand Slam silverware, there have been some close calls and plaudits have not been in short supply.
She is five-time Paralympian and a Paralympic silver medallist after she and Jordanne Whiley finished runners-up in the women’s doubles to Dutch powerhouses Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot at Tokyo 2020.
“If you would have asked the 21-year-old who broke her back, I would never have imagined I would have this career,” added Shuker, who was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in 2001 which resulted in life-changing injuries.
“I did not expect to be a Paralympian, nor did I expect to be competing at Grand Slams. For me, this has been the success: embracing the journey, accepting the disability and finding joy in life.
“Sometimes, as much as you dream about winning a trophy, it’s not about winning a trophy. It is about showing up every single day and giving it your all. I’ve embraced that and done that for 24 years. It has broken my heart at times, but I have loved it. I have put myself out there and given my all.
“The journey has been incredible and I haven’t stopped loving it, that is why I have continued to play. Hopefully my journey inspires other people in a similar position
"But life is for living and embracing challenges – and through that we grow as people. For me, I have still got a life to live, I just won’t be on a tennis court quite as often. But I’m not going to stop playing. I will still be playing, still enjoying it, just not pushing for the Grand Slam.”
A full list of results from the 2026 Wheelchair Championships at Wimbledon can be found here