Diede De Groot makes history; Stefan Olsson wins men's singles; Lucy Shuker lays claim to shot of the tournament
Monday 16 July 2018 08:50, UK
The 2018 Wimbledon wheelchair tennis draws drew to a close with some familiar faces crowned champions.
In the men's singles Stefan Olsson became the first man to successfully defend his wheelchair singles title at SW19 with a three-set win over Gustavo Fernandez 6-2 0-6 6-3.
In the women's doubles Yui Kamiji and Diede De Groot claimed the title with a straight-sets win over Lucy Shuker and Sabine Ellerbrock 6-1 6-1.
So what are the five things we'll remember from this final day...
The wheelchair tournament has already brought so many history-making moments this year including the first ever quad division doubles match to be played, the first ever partnership to win three successive men's doubles titles - Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett - and the first ever player from South Africa to compete at SW19, Kgothatso Montjane.
But the final day brought us even more action for the wheelchair tennis history books as the Netherlands' De Groot became the first female player to win both the singles and doubles titles in the same year here at Wimbledon, and she did it without dropping a set in any of her matches.
"I don't think I can ever describe how special that is," De Groot told Sky Sports. "That's something nobody will ever be able to take away from me."
"It's a different kind of special than last year as I will not ever forget the first time I won the singles here and how it felt to get that first Grand Slam title.
"But this year I needed to work harder for it, I needed to be mentally stronger as there was more pressure. So, the fight I put up I'm really proud of so maybe I can say this one is prettier."
De Groot's partner on the Wimbledon doubles court Kamiji also made her mark on this year's Championships at the same time by claiming her fifth successive doubles title.
This was the first time the top two women's players had paired up to compete on grass, Kamiji's previous four titles coming with Britain's Jordanne Whiley by her side.
"I feel very happy," Kamiji said. "It's amazing. Diede and I played so well together our communication was good and we worked as a team."
Britain's Shuker made it to her fourth Wimbledon doubles final and first in five years in 2018 and ends this year's tournament with well-earned runners-up honours.
But she came away from this year's Championships with more than that.
After showcasing her drop shots and net play on the hallowed lawns of The All England Club all week in the doubles tournament she has definitely notched up some contenders for the best shot at Wimbledon 2018.
Speaking to Sky Sports about the drop shot that came off her racket when her and doubles partner Sabine Ellerbrock were 5-3 up in the deciding set of their semi-final, Shuker said: "I think playing with Sabine when she puts good pressure on it brings the ball short and then it allows me to do what Shukes does and have a little play at the net."
When the men's singles draw started all eyes were on Shingo Kunieda and whether he could win his first singles title at Wimbledon, after taking the first two Grand Slam titles of the year.
However, the player that has ended up making the headlines and lifting the trophy is Sweden's Stefan Olsson.
In what was a replay of last year's final between him and Argentina's Gustavo Fernandez, Olsson successfully defended his title from the last year and solidified his reputation as the best grass court player on the tour.
"The only thing I was thinking was put the backhand slice in the court because I knew Gustavo wasn't going to aim for my forehand," Olsson, the world No 7, said about his moment of victory.
"After that I don't remember anything, it's pretty much a blur. I know I just started to scream but that's all I can remember.
"I'm floating on a cloud right now, it's just crazy. I never believed I got be that guy, the one to beat on grass but maybe I am now."
With automatic qualification for the US Open being announced soon, and only the top seven men guaranteed a place in it, the win meant much more than just defending a title, it meant he kept his top seven ranking ahead of the cut-off point.
"If I hadn't won here I would have been out of the top seven for sure so that added a little more pressure," he said. "The win I'm still going to have the same number of points, I haven't lost any so I stay where I am."
Ten years on from that famous final in 2008 all eyes in the main draw were on whether we could see Federer and Nadal go head to head again in 2018.
That didn't happen but perhaps we may have seen the birth of a new grass court rivalry this year.
With Fernandez and Olsson so closely matched and the last two Wimbledon singles finals in the wheelchair draw being three-set battles between them it's definitely a possibility.
"I don't know. Maybe?" said Olsson. "But how can anyone compare to Roger and Rafa?
"If I'm honest I see myself more as Feliciano Lopez on the grass - he has a great slice, I have a good slice, he has a good serve, I can serve well - the only thing that sets us apart is he's a leftie.
"Gusti plays a lot like Nadal for sure so maybe he's Nadal but maybe we're a new combination taking our styles from Lopez and Nadal."
We have the US hardcourts covered from all angles via our website skysports.com/tennis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.
Our next tennis action comes from the German Open in Hamburg. Watch the action live on Sky Sports Arena from Monday July 23 from 10am.
Never miss the big kick-off or have to deal with interrupted games or low-quality streams with a NOW TV Sky Sports Pass this summer. You'll get exclusive coverage of the 147th Open from Carnoustie, The Ryder Cup, ATP Tour, World Darts Matchplay, and loads more starting from just £7.99. No contract.
