Lucy Shuker Targets French, Wimbledon And Fifth Paralympics!
Locker Room
March 29, 2022
Things have been going well for me and right now there is so much to look forward to! We have the World Team Cup in Portugal in the first week of May, where I’ll be proud to represent Great Britain once more.
Then I’ve qualified for Roland Garros, where they have just announced an exciting extension for men’s and women’s to a twelve draw and the quad division to an 8 draw. Following my recent results I would have actually still qualified even if it were still an eight draw, because I’m currently ranked fifth in the world – back to my all-time high!
Wimbledon 2022
Wimbledon 2022 isn’t far away either. At the moment it’s still eight women who play at the All England Club, the top seven plus a wild card. That could change any time, and I know Wimbledon are particularly supportive of Wheelchair Tennis and have some fantastic plans for the future. I definitely support the move for all the Grand Slams to increase their wheelchair draws as I believe the depth in the game is really there now, especially in the women’s division.
Paris 2024
Looking ahead, there is the possibility of a fifth Paralympics in Paris to think about if I can qualify. Yes, Paris 2024 isn’t so far away now, even though we had the Olympics and Paralympics only last year in Tokyo. I feel that a fifth Games is a realistic target, the way I’m feeling and playing at the moment. It would be quite something to look back on one day and say I’d played in five Paralympics. But let’s see how I go between now and then.
If I do qualify and make the doubles team it would be a new partnership with a new British player though, after Jordanne Whiley’s retirement. Having won a silver and two bronze Paralympic medals together (see photo), it will definitely have a different feel going into Paris. Cornelia Oosthuizen is currently the British No.2, she won a bronze medal at the Invictus Games in Toronto and is playing really well at the moment, so that is exciting and we have some good female juniors coming into the women’s team too.
Aussie Open
This year has been good so far for me. At the Australian Open in January I had my best Grand Slam performance so far, reaching the semi-final of the singles and the final of the doubles. The psychological work I’ve done has really helped. I’ve also changed my game style somewhat. I’m going after the ball a lot more and I’m positioning myself better in the short court for those short balls and volleys. My serve is stronger and I’m returning more aggressively. It’s all about getting that first big strike in ahead of your opponent and that’s what I’m doing a lot more of these days.
Coaching
Off court I’ve also taken the first step towards a coaching journey, completing my LTA Level 1 and I am looking at ways to complete my Level 3 alongside still playing, I would love to coach wheelchair tennis one day, I have so much experience to draw upon and it is such a fantastic sport. In the mean time I hope the profile of wheelchair tennis continues to grow. It is always great when the able bodied players help to raise the profile of what we are doing out there. Mentioning us in their press conferences or coming to try playing in a wheelchair. I’ve seen both Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic in a chair and Jack Draper even joined in with myself and Alfie Hewett at the National Tennis Centre.
Emma Raducanu
It would be great to get some of the women players engaged in wheelchair tennis too, perhaps Emma Raducanu might try it out some time. If she ever wanted to do that, I’d be more than happy to help her. We appreciate it so much because it helps a general understanding of what we have to do and raises the profile of our tennis. So, it’s a great time to be getting into wheelchair tennis and it’s an exciting time for me. I hope you enjoy following my journey.
That’s it for now,
Love, Lucy x