It’s been a whirlwind start to the year for 16 year old wheelchair tennis player Gordon Reid. 
 
In 2007 he had his sights set on the London Olympics but as he progressed through an increasingly successful year – one in which he became Britain's youngest Men's Singles National Champion, aged just 15 - it dawned on him that qualifying for the Beijing-bound British Paralympic team was a distinct possibility.
 
In an all out effort to raise his singles world ranking above the required 48, to increase his selection chances, the competitions... travelling... and titles...have not ceased.  So far he has won events in destinations as diverse as France, Switzerland, Preston and Sunderland.  His tour de force finished with three weeks in the US, and another doubles final, at the end of April.
 
“In two weeks we will know who has qualified for Beijing,” said Gordon, arriving home to draw breath.  “The announcement of team selections will follow in a few weeks, so I will continue doing tournaments over the summer to try and get my ranking up as high as possible by Beijing, should I be selected."
 
 “I never thought going to Beijing was a possibility until about a year ago, but over time it’s been more and more realistic.  My aim a year ago was the London Olympics but because I was doing better Beijing has become a possibility.”
 
Gordon’s sharp rise through the world’s senior game is made more remarkable by the fact he only started wheelchair tennis in 2005.  He had been an able bodied tennis player before contracting Transverse Myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord which can cause leg paralysis. 
 
“Having played able bodied tennis was an advantage because I already knew most of the shots,” he said.  “I just needed to learn chair movement and the tactics. It was quite easy to get used to it by spending time on court in the chair and doing drills.”
 
It was a fortunate coincidence that a strong group of wheelchair tennis players met at Glasgow’s Scotstoun Tennis Centre, and encouraged Gordon to join them.  Helensburgh Tennis Club’s Steve Losh filled the role of coach locally. 
 
“They were the first people I met through wheelchair tennis and it was due to them I started playing and stayed involved,” said Gordon.  “One of the group, Kevin Simpson (currently in the world’s top 70), is trying to qualify for Beijing as well.  It’s good for training to have someone like Kevin that will challenge and make you try your hardest all the time.”
 
Gordon is helped by the Tennis Foundation which provides funding and equipment. His support team expanded last autumn when Karen Ross, Tennis Scotland’s High Performance Coach, took over his coaching.
 
At the same time he was signed up by the West of Scotland Institute of Sport which provides high performance expertise in the form of essential support services in sports medicine, sports science, strength and conditioning, and career and lifestyle guidance.
 
“The Tennis Foundation have been a great support, giving me funding, sending me on training camps and helping me get chairs,” he said.
 
“I’ve been to see the physio at the West of Scotland Institute and have been for a couple of Strength & Conditioning blocks.  They were good and I’ll make more use of that now I’m at home more. 
 
“One of the big differences between me and the top players is fitness so I will definitely work on that and that will help me get my level up.”
 
It is easy to forget that Gordon is still only 16, and still developing physically, whilst competing against the world’s top adult players.
 
“The game is becoming far more aggressive, with more top spin and more shots hit on the first bounce (the wheelchair game allows players to hit balls on the second bounce),” said Karen Ross.
 
“For Gordon to make that next leap, hopefully to being a top 10 player or maybe better, it’s about being aggressive at the right times to be able to compete with the best players in the world.  We’ve put together a training programme so he gets stronger and faster and we are working closely with the West of Scotland Institute of Sport to put all that in place.
 
“He’s very astute and mature mentally.  He’s good at working out his opponents and finding what they are good at.  He knows when to slow it down or take it on.”
 
In the meantime Gordon will endure a nervous wait to see if he is part of the British team heading for Beijing.
 
“I don’t have any tournaments in the next two weeks but I feel confident I have done enough to qualify,” he added.  “It just depends on whether people that are below me jump ahead of me in the meantime”.
 

Gordon Reid’s 2008 highlights:
• International Junior Masters - Boys Singles Winner (Britain’s first Boys Singles Winner at the Junior Masters) and Boys Doubles Winner
• Sion Indoor, Switzerland (ITF 3) - Men’s Second Draw Singles Winner
• North West Challenge Preston (ITF Futures) - Men’s Main Draw Singles and Doubles Winner
• Biel-Bienne Indoors Switzerland (ITF 3) - Men’s Main Draw Singles semi-finalist and Men’s Main Draw Doubles Winner
• North East Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, Sunderland (ITF 3) - Men’s Main Draw Singles Winner and Men’s Man Draw Doubles Runner-Up
• Pensacola Open, Florida (ITF 1 Series) - Men’s Main Draw Singles Second Round - after reaching the second round of this high grade tournament, Gordon attained a career high of No 36 as 21.04.08
• Cajun Classic, Louisiana (ITF 2 Series) - Men's Main Draw Doubles Runner-up
 
 
 RE-J
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Pictures by Mike Trill and Dawn Newberry