Wimbledon 2025: Greg Slade ready to face world No.2 after first Grand Slam victory
• 2 MINUTE READ
With five of the eight British players entered for the wheelchair draws at The Championships going into Thursday’s third day of wheelchair tennis action maintaining title hopes in at least one draw, the stand-out performance to date has come from British No.2 quad player Greg Slade.
Slade’s 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 victory over Chile’s world No.6 Francisco Cayulef in the opening round of quad singles was not only Slade’s first singles win at a Grand Slam, but also his best career win to date by ranking.
Given that Slade got close to beating world No.2 Sam Schroder of the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the Lexus British Open Roehampton last week, his latest career win over a top-10 ranked opponent has special significance in what has been a landmark summer, with Slade’s recent constituent run of good form rewarded with a new career high world singles ranking at No.11 at the end of June.
“I honestly think I am still processing what’s just happened,” Slade told itftennis.com after coming through a match that lasted more than two-and-a-half hours and with the Brit hitting and impressive 48 winners.
“I knew going into this match that I had an opportunity, but I also knew the odds were against me and that I wasn’t the favourite. But this is the best win of my career on ranking.”
Slade, who made his Grand Slam tournament debut at Wimbledon in 2023 and then made his Australian Open debut in January this year, when he lost out to Cayulef in two close sets, is understandably drawing plenty of confidence from his first win in four career matches against the reigning Parapan American Games champion.
I have had some big wins and this year I have really seen improvement, and I think this win cements me now as a top player.
“I feel I have been knocking on the door of something like this for a while. I have had some big wins and this year I have really seen improvement, and I think this win cements me now as a top player,” added Slade. “I feel it proves that I deserve to be at this level.”
“Sport is brutal and professional sport is tough. There are times you doubt whether this is for you, you doubt that you belong at this level and you doubt you belong among such fantastic players.”
Slade knows exactly how tough it can be on the biggest stages, having had a match point in the second set against Schroder at last week’s Lexus British Open Roehampton.
Slade remained resilient, but was just touched out by the Dutchman 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5 in a marathon semi-final contest that looked for a long time like it might bring Slade his biggest career win.
He will have the opportunity to try and reach new heights tomorrow (Friday), when he faces Schroder again in the semi-finals at the All England Club.
“I am hoping, for me mentally, this really helps me and allows me to think that I am actually pretty good at this,” said Slade, who is supported by the LTA Wheelchair Performance Pathway Pro Scholarship Programme presented by Lexus.
Slade is understating his abilities and his achievements, his storied career to date having included a first Paralympic medal, alongside Andy Lapthorne, at Paris 2024, where the Brits won the quad doubles silver. In May this year he also won his first World Team Cup medal, and started 2025 by winning three out of a possible four titles in the singles draws at the LTA’s Bolton Indoor tournaments.
“I hope it means I can get through that barrier now and I can have more confidence and belief that I can beat anybody.”
“There’s a lot of relief. It’s difficult as I get very nervous and very tight and sometimes it is hard to fight through that physically and emotionally,” said Slade.
“I’ve had to work very hard over the years to play through that, back myself and be positive on court. But week in, week out it is those incremental gains that make the difference in key moments. I’m stoked, relieved and very tired.
“On a personal level, I love it here and to win here is wonderful. It means so much this being my home Slam and I hope to be here now for many years to come.”
