ROLAND GARROS

June 5, 2022

Alfie Hewett

Gordon Reid

Press Conference

HEWETT-REID/Fernandez-Kunieda

7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on your match. Well done, guys. Can you take us through your match and your thoughts right now.

ALFIE HEWETT: Yeah, right now obviously pretty tired, but it's a great feeling to come off the back of not playing with this guy for four months and return with the level we brought to the court today is I think seriously impressive and a real showcase of how good our sport can be, as well.

I thought it was a really entertaining doubles final and I really enjoyed playing in it. Great relief to get over the line and get the number 10 in a row.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Well done, guys. 10 in a row is obviously quite significant for a Rangers fan. We talked about it a bit before, but just what it means to get that number.

GORDON REID: Yeah, I mean, I think it's obviously a record that we are really proud of. Just shows our level of consistency that is difficult to achieve in any sport. Yeah, something that we are really pleased with. But at the end of the day it's just another Grand Slam title that we are trying to fight to win.

Whether it's the 10th or whatever number, you know, we still enjoy it, still appreciate it. Obviously we are not stopping here. We are going for more.

Q. Alfie, what makes you such a good partnership, do you feel?

ALFIE HEWETT: So many good things, I think. Obviously have time on our side and we have been working together now for seven years. As individual players, I think our games really complement one another. I think the righty and lefty, that gives us a slight advantage.

The styles that we play we've developed over the last few years, and trying to be the partnership. Not only develop our game but also take men's doubles to another level. We have the skills and great team behind us to be able to look at ways of improving.

Yeah, that's pretty (indiscernible) actually. It's hard to know how to really sum it up in one answer, really.

Q. I noticed here there is at least one of the wheelchair doubles matches was on the main court. We have talked before about would it be possible at Wimbledon to do this. Wondered if either of you had discussed anything more about that with the authorities and what would it mean for the sport if one day it was to be on Centre Court at Wimbledon?

GORDON REID: Yeah, I mean, personally I have not talked to them about it yet. My door is always open if they want to speak to me about it.

You know, we have seen over the last few years how the Grand Slams have taken the initiative to put wheelchair matches on bigger courts more often, and I think it's another sort of groundbreaking step forward for us to have matches, one doubles match and the women's singles match as well, on Chatrier.

Yeah, I think, Wimbledon is the last Slam that hasn't had a wheelchair match on Centre Court yet. So hopefully we will see that happening before I retire anyway, hopefully (smiling).

Q. Congratulations, guys. Do you think that the rain delay was a help or hindrance in this match, given that Gustavo and Shingo had played each other earlier yesterday?

GORDON REID: Yeah, it's difficult to say, because they had a tough match yesterday in the singles. You think they probably go in tired to the doubles after that.

From my point of view, I probably felt -- you know, I have been struggling a little bit still with my wrist injury, and I felt better yesterday than today. It can work both ways. Sometimes you feel more tired the day after a big match as well, when all the emotions have left as well.

Difficult to say, but we just had to try and prepare for it as best we could. You know, we tried to be ready when we needed to be, and obviously we managed to get the win today.

Q. Given that you have not been able to play competitively together for four months, how special does this feel today?

ALFIE HEWETT: Yeah, really special. I think this is probably one of the best victories that we have had together. Gordy was saying earlier, it's probably like 50, 60 percent out there today, and we're still able to take home the title.

That's just a credit to what we can do as a partnership when maybe things aren't always 100% and firing, we have a level of depth in our game to be able to still get results and still push, you know, No. 1, 2, and 3 in the world, to a tiebreak and take it the way we did.

Q. Gemma Stevenson has passed on a question for me to ask you. She passes on her congratulations. She wanted to ask about one point in particular that could potentially be the shot of the tournament, that one at deciding deuce which took you 4-3 up in the second set. Gordon, how did you even get to that ball and put it away like you did? Alfie, is it going to become a habit that you hug Gordon after every one of his dropshots?

GORDON REID: I'm not sure about the shot of the tournament. I have seen some of the shots that Rafa's played in the last couple of weeks.

No, it was a big moment, obviously a massive point, the deciding deuce. Alfie was all over the place in front of me and side to side. I was just trying to do my best to cover him from behind. I saw Shingo setting up for the volley.

Yeah, I mean, it was a full stretch and luckily it just trickled over. Nice to be in the right end of one of those.

Q. To go back to the Rangers thing, have you had any messages from anyone at the club or any friends, even supporters, anything like that, talking about 10 in a row or what that means?

GORDON REID: I have had a few. Yeah, I've had a few people kind of say to me about, You better not mess up. Because I think I mentioned that in Australia. It was like, Oh, I'm going to get ripped to shreds by all the Celtic fans if I don't get the 10.

No, I have not had a chance to check yet, so I don't know if I've had a few messages now. Obviously there's a few running jokes going around because of the number 10, but I'll enjoy them later on.

Q. After this victory, do you have in mind the 2024 Paralympic Games here in Paris?

ALFIE HEWETT: Yeah, absolutely. It's going to be incredible to have the Paralympics here. Obviously we have played here numerous times now in this event. But with that only just around the corner, it's a good chance and opportunity to be able to get a feel for some of these matches and the clay courts, obviously being able to play or Philippe Chatrier and some of the bigger courts.

I'm hoping during the Games that maybe we get a chance to play on that. It's great to see they are starting that. For us, obviously these matches, they are sort of gold dust really because we're not going to have many chances to play on clay, especially against world-class players.

We will take a good look at the recent matches and obviously analyze them, and hopefully in the future get some opportunities to play on maybe some bigger courts to replicate what it would be like at the Paralympics.

THE MODERATOR: Any plan on how you are going to celebrate this victory?

GORDON REID: I've got a tournament next week, so I will be keeping it chill. But Alfie is going home.

ALFIE HEWETT: Yeah, no, it will be chill. My coach keeps going on about Chinese. I think he's desperate for Chinese tonight. We'll probably treat ourselves.

Obviously the grass courts are just around the corner. Got to be good for now.