Slade seals maiden Grand Slam match-win to fuel belief he belongs
Great Britain’s Greg Slade was visibly emotional after posting his maiden Grand Slam match-win which he believes can be life-changing and alter the course of his career.
Slade defeated Chile’s Francisco Cayulef 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4 in the opening round of the quad draw at the Wimbledon Wheelchair Championships to set-up a quarter-final showdown with Sam Schroder of the Netherlands.
It was a nail-biting encounter and had Cayulef, who was making his SW19 debut, prevailed he would have become the first South American quad player to record a victory at Wimbledon.
But after a marathon showdown which lasted more than two-and-a-half hours, it was Slade who claimed the spoils of victory and he who goes forward with a significant feather in his cap.
“I honestly think I am still processing what’s just happened,” Slade, who is ranked No. 11 in the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour Rankings and a wildcard here, told itftennis.com.
“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 [Cayulef is ranked No. 6 in the world].
“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. 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.
“I am hoping, for me mentally, this really helps me and allows me to think that I am actually pretty good at this. I hope it means I can get through that barrier now and I can have more confidence and belief that I can beat anybody.”
It was extra special for Slade to record his first Grand Slam match-win at Wimbledon – his home Slam. His only previous appearances at Grand Slams came at last year’s Wimbledon and January’s Australian Open. In Australia, he lost to Cayulef.
“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.
“You’ve got dreams as players, and while I never got into tennis to become a professional player or a Wimbledon player, you always think it would be fun and such a privilege to play at Wimbledon.
“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.”