Hewett determined to swifty atone for downfall in doubles

ALFIE HEWETT has an instant chance to make up for his wheelchair doubles disappointment when he takes to Court Three for his first ever Wimbledon singles final today.

The Norwich right-hander failed in his bid to become a 20-time major winner, but is yet to capture the singles crown at the All England club.

And he has even more incentive now after just missing out with partner Scotland’s Gordon Reid on winning 11 consecutive Grand Slam wheelchair doubles titles when they lost to Gustavo Fernandez and Shingo Kunieda in straight sets.

The Argentine and Japanese pair triumphed in a surprisingly emphatic 6-3, 6-2 win.

Hewett now faces Japan’s Kunieda again — this time for the singles title.

He said: ‘We are disappointed not to continue our run in the Grand Slams. It was a difficult match.’

The top-seeded British pair had not lost a major final since they were beaten here in 2019.

They looked not to have recovered from their 10pm Friday night finish after a gruelling three-set semi. Hewett had also endured a dramatic singles semi-final earlier.‘I think we were probably a little bit tired from yesterday,’ Hewett added. ‘A difficult one to take.

‘They’ve been desperate to beat us for some time — the last time we lost in a Grand Slam was here in 2019 — but obviously Friday was a massive day for us.’

Kunieda said: ‘Gordon and Alfie are the best team in wheelchair history. It was a big challenge for us but finally we got there. I’m really happy.’

Court Three may be filled to its 2,000 capacity for the men’s singles final and Hewett welcomes another chance to raise the profile of the wheelchair game after their dramatic No 1 Court semi-final win.

Hewett added: ‘We want to keep pushing, make it even more professional, make it grow as big as we can because we won’t be playing this sport for ever. There will be an end day at some point.

‘Obviously we want to selfishly make the most of it.

‘Right now we’re in a place where we’re doing really well.

‘It’s getting a lot more exposure, whether it be at the Slams or trying to increase the participation in the ATP or WTA events, I think it’s happening. I think we’re on the right trajectory towards that.’