De la Puente ready and unfazed by Hewett despite 2-24 win-loss record
He may have breezed through his quarter-final showdown but standing in the way of Spain’s Martin de la Puente and a second successive Wimbledon final is home favourite and defending champion Alfie Hewett.
De la Puente, who won men’s doubles bronze alongside Dani Caverzaschi at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event, dispatched Casey Ratzlaff of the United States 6-1 6-1 to ensure his safe passage to the last four.
His run immediately evokes memories of Wimbledon last year when De la Puente reached his maiden Grand Slam final, only to fall to Hewett – a victory which sealed the Briton’s career Grand Slam in singles.
Sadly, that is a familiar feeling for De la Puente who has played Hewett 26 times since 2012, winning just two of those showdowns, although he did beat his rival as recently as November at the 2024 NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters.
A tough assignment awaits but De la Puente, who is ranked No. 3 in the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour Rankings compared to Hewett at No. 2, is not one for shirking a challenge.
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“There are no rule books for big matches like this, it is a case of enjoying the moment,” De la Puente told itftennis.com. “I am happy to have one more match to prove to myself that I can compete with the best players in the world. I believe I can do that.
“It is always tough to feel good in the pressure moments when you are uncomfortable. These are moments of competition that we all want to win, but the pressure sometimes affects us.
“In those moments we have to remember we are tennis players and it’s not only about winning or losing; it is also about how you win and lose. I will be focusing on me and my game tomorrow.
“I know Alfie very well, since juniors, and I believe it will be a very good tennis match. I believe I can have a good performance. I believe in my tennis, my plan and my team and that is so important. I will try to be me and be confident about what I can do.”
The second semi-final in the men’s draw of the Wimbledon Wheelchair Championships will feature some usual suspects as Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez takes on world No. 1 Tokito Oda of Japan.
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Fernandez, who won the men's wheelchair singles title here in 2019, sealed his place in the last four by overcoming Gordon Reid of Great Britain 6-2 6-3, while Oda outmanoeuvred Ruben Spaargaren of the Netherlands to prevail 6-1 6-4.
“It is always special for wheelchair tennis to be a part of Wimbledon,” said De la Puente, who was born with proteus syndrome, with fingers on one hand larger than those on the other, while he had his left foot amputated at the age of eight
“Ask kids and it is a dream for them to play and perform here and we can all say that we are lucky to play tennis here.
“I am happy with how I have managed the opening two rounds. My coach and I are looking at the things the top-level players are doing well as we have to keep up with those aspects of the game.
“I am happy, confident and very hungry to keep playing tennis here. The more matches we get to play here at Wimbledon, the better we can say we are playing tennis and that is the aim for the coming days.”
De la Puente’s vociferous celebrations were a feature of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event. Should he defeat Hewett tomorrow, those expressions of joy could well shake the very foundations of Wimbledon.
A full list of results from the 2025 Wimbledon Wheelchair Championships is available here