Gordon Reid

Started: He took up tennis at age six at the Helensburgh Lawn Tennis Club in Scotland. He began playing wheelchair tennis in 2005 at age 13 at the Scotstoun Leisure Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. (Facebook page, 27 Jan 2017; Athlete, 23 Dec 2014) Reason: "I used to play able-bodied tennis as a junior." (Athlete, 23 Dec 2014) Ambition: To win a gold medal in doubles at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (independent.co.uk, 14 May 2024) Milestones: He became the first British wheelchair tennis player to win a gold medal in the men's singles event at the Paralympic Games when he was victorious at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 16 Mar 2020; invictusactive.com, 20 Jun 2019) Awards: In 2023 he was named Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [OBE] in the King's Birthday Honours list. He had been appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] in the 2017 New Year Honours list. (skysports.com, 17 Jun 2023) In 2016 he was named an honorary freeman of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. (eveningtimes.co.uk, 07 Dec 2016) He was named the Tennis Scotland International Player of the Year for 2014 and 2015. (rio.paralympics.org.uk, 2016) In 2010 he received the Para Athlete of the Year award from Tennis Scotland. (tennisfoundation.org.uk, 01 Aug 2012) In 2009 he was named the Tennis Scotland Junior Male Player of the Year. (tennisfoundation.org.uk, 01 Aug 2012) Additional Info: RETIREMENT THOUGHTS In 2022 he was affected by injury and began to consider retirement. "At times last year [2022], I was thinking about what comes next in my tennis story and I thought my playing career might be coming to an end. It was looking a little bit difficult because I was doing a lot of rest and recovery to find a solution, but nothing was really working. It was a bit frustrating and eventually I ruptured the tendon in my wrist. That is not a good injury for a tennis player, so it was a bit of a scare. Thankfully, things are much better now [speaking in early 2023]. The medical guys have been great and got me back to this point. Hopefully I still have a few more years left on the court, but if not, I would love to stay involved in tennis." (lta.org.uk, 03 Mar 2023) HERO'S WELCOME After returning to Glasgow, Scotland, from the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro having won gold in men's singles, he was given the chance to parade his medal in front of fans at the home stadium of his favourite football team, Rangers. "It was very special. I loved football when I was a wee boy and before I was in hospital and had my condition I played football a lot and my dream was to be a footballer and be a Rangers player, so to have that experience of walking out in front of the crowd at Ibrox and getting a reception was pretty incredible." (falkirkherald.co.uk, 16 Apr 2020)