Alfie Hewett completes career Grand Slam with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-3 victory over Spain’s Martín de la Puente at Wimbledon , won the first wheelchair singles championship at Wimbledon.
Hewitt experienced disappointment in the singles finals at the All England Club in 2022 and 2023. However, the English star erased the memory of last year’s loss to Tokihito Oda on Court No. 1 as he clinched long-awaited singles success in SW19 with a superb batting performance to the delight of an excited home crowd.
“I’m speechless, to be honest. The last few years have been difficult,” Hewitt admitted. “Winning doubles with Gordon [Reid] Always a great memory, but in years past, it wasn’t heartbreaking to leave with a loss in the singles final. When you’ve watched this since you were a kid and it’s always been a dream, it’s a really tough thing to almost miss out on.
“I was very nervous last night because I didn’t want to lose again and I’m very, very proud of my performance,” Hewitt continued. “Thank you all so much. I want to thank my team, they are like a second home there. We have been through many, many highs and some lows together, but you always make me feel like myself, back to who I am level. You always believed in me. I think today proved that no matter how many times you get knocked down, you can still get up and keep trying. It all depends on you guys.
Second-seeded Hewitt reached the final after a marathon top-four battle with Gustavo Fernandez on Friday. Hours later, de la Puente shocked 2023 champion Auda to reach his first Grand Slam final. Won the Wimbledon singles title.
Hewitt and De La Puente entered a half-filled Court 1 on Sunday morning to rousing applause before exchanging early breaks. Game five proved to be the catalyst for Hewitt’s victory, with the 26-year-old breaking serve to win 12 of the next 14 points, earning thunderous applause for the opener.
An early break of serve in the second set sparked more cheers, but de la Puente fought back and then failed to hold serve. In the end, Hewitt managed to hold on to a 5-3 lead and was within striking distance of victory, sealing his second championship point with a backhand winner.
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Court One erupted as an emotional Hewitt opened his arms in celebration after a 78-minute battle to finally win Wimbledon, adding to his four-time U.S. Open title, three-time French Open title and The only Australian Open singles championship.
