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They say you can only appreciate the tallest peak when you’ve stood in the deepest valley and finally Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett have the soaring moment they deserve.
Dominant in Grand Slams and on the wheelchair tennis tour, the British pair were starting to wonder whether they’d ever win together at the Paralympics after two doubles finals defeats.
And there were tears again at Roland Garros, though this time they were of sheer relief rather than gut-aching disappointment.
Japan’s Tokito Oda and Takuya Miki were brushed aside 6-2 6-1 to spark special scenes on Court Philippe Chatrier, the pair duly completing their career Golden Slams.
Reid and Hewett can rightly claim to be one of British sports greatest double acts, though without the recognition they deserve. It’s 1,915 days since they last lost here in Paris, the Kings of Clay now sitting on a golden throne.
It was all very different from the scenes in Tokyo’s Ariake Tennis Park three years ago, when the world was still shuttered and ever-present masks hid the true extent of their despondency.
The pair looked shell-shocked after defeat in a match that went to a third set tie-break. Normally so approachable and considered, they were left mumbling in disbelief after losing to the same French pair that beat them in Rio.
“We finally did it, it’s ours,” said Reid, now a five-time Paralympic medallist, including singles champion in 2016.
“Sometimes you need to feel some pain to enjoy the highs when they come, we need to really savour this moment.
“We’ve been desperate this for a long time, we’ve come close twice and felt that heartbreak and pain. Those matches have been some of the toughest moments of my career, so sit here with the gold around our necks is one of the best feelings I’ve had in sport.
“It feels amazing, even if it’s not fully sunk in yet, the emotions and adrenaline are still high.”
It took nearly an hour to wrap up the first set, the match settling into a rhythm of cross court fizzes from Hewett, deft drops from Reid and Oda’s increasingly vocal répertoire of grunts.
The scoreline may have looked comfortable but the statistics told another story, both teams adopting the tactic of hanging in rallies and waiting for an unforced error, Oda and Miki converted just one of the eight break point chances they were given.
However, the second set saw the Brits in total control, their relief evident - after the disappointments of Rio and Tokyo - as they put away their second match point chance.
Hewett arrived in Paris as the world number one in both singles and doubles and he has justified that tag with some swaggering performances in recent days.
And his week could get even better as he prepares to take on Oda in the men’s singles final on Saturday, where another gold would complete another Golden Slam.
“I’m not thinking my singles, we’ve been working hard for this moment, I don’t want to put it to one side, tomorrow I’m going for another gold but tonight is all about us,” said Hewett, who won his first Wimbledon singles title just a few weeks ago.
“We’ve wanted this title for a very long time. We’ve been on such a journey to get here. It’s hard to put in words the last few months, it’s the stuff of dreams.
“Tokyo was three years ago, we’ve grown a lot in that time and we manage the big moments a lot better now. When it comes to big points, we know what to do.
“We felt confident going into this week but there is always a doubt because of those two losses at the Paralympics. We’ve just squashed that and just played our brand of tennis and thankfully this time we’re not crying on each other’s shoulders.”
Wheelchair tennis in unique in para sport that it has an established world tour, with the benefits of television and media coverage for all their major tournaments.
Reid and Hewett’s win was ParalympicsGB’s 300th gold medal since the advent of the National Lottery funding that is so crucial to success at these Games. Both benefitted in the past from that support, though perhaps it speaks to progress they now have alternative sources of revenue.
Hewett banked £65,000 for this recent win at the All England Club, a healthy sum but still only £5,000 more than you’d have made as a first round loser in the men’s and women’s singles draw.
“Wheelchair tennis has been going in the right direction for a long time now,” said Hewett. “Let’s not set limits on where it can go in the future.
“The sport is a great example for disability-sport inclusion and really getting integration because we’ve proven at Wimbledon and other tournaments, if you sell it, you put it out there, people will watch.”
Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024.
