Lucy Shuker remembers her 2021 Wimbledon women’s wheelchair doubles semi-final win in minute detail. The Dorset local can even recall exactly what her partner, Kgothatso Montjane, said in the immediate aftermath of their victory.
Shuker, who is from Three Legged Cross, will attempt to make more of the same memories when she graces the All England Club grass for the 16th time on Tuesday.
“I think this is my 16th year, which is incredible,” said the 46-year-old. “Seeing the sport grow year on year has also been incredible. My favourite memory has probably been playing with KG [Kgothatso Montjane], who I’m playing with again this year.
“We took out Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot one year to get to the final, which was an incredible battle, an amazing win. I still remember hitting the backhand down the line and KG turning to me and shouting, ‘Luce!’.
“The heartbreak is that we still didn’t get to win the final, but that’s tennis. You just have to put yourself out there and embrace the journey.”
The British No. 1, and world No. 18, has never made it past the singles quarter-finals at SW19. And she has not been given an easy draw: third seed Xiaohui Li, who possesses an aggressive grass-court game, awaits in the first round.
But Shuker has been in the profession long enough to know that in tennis, anything can happen.
“I’ve been playing this sport for 24 years, so a lot of hours have gone into the mental side, working with my sports psychologist and my team,” she said. “You just have to rely on that, know that you’ve done the hard work, and hopefully you come out on top on the day.
“I feel healthy, I feel fit, and I’m looking forward to being out there. I know every year I come here, it’s extremely tough. The grass is hard to move on, the balls come through quickly, and I’m playing one of the biggest hitters in the first round.
“So, I just want to go out there, enjoy it, and embrace the opportunity. You can’t take it for granted.”
When doubles play begins on Wednesday, Shuker and Montjane will attempt to re-live their success of five years ago when they take on Ksenia Chasteau and Jiske Griffioen.
That 2021 run was the last time Shuker reached the doubles final at Wimbledon, and she has a 0-5 record in finals at the All England Club - a stat she will hope to change this year.
But no matter what happens in her 2026 Championships, Wimbledon still feels just as magical to Shuker as it did on her debut in 2009.
“The time you come back and it’s not as special is maybe when your time is up. Every time you come back to Wimbledon, it’s going to be special,” said Shuker.
“Wimbledon is the historical place for tennis. Everywhere around the world knows Wimbledon and as a British player, it’s an incredible honour to be playing here. I can’t wait to go and play my best tennis hopefully.”
For the latest updates on the British summer grass court season, visit the LTA website, lta.org.uk.
