Lucy Jessica Shuker[1]BEM (born 28 May 1980[2]) is a British wheelchair tennis player[3] who is currently the highest ranked woman in the sport in Britain.[4][5] A previous singles and doubles National Champion, Shuker has represented Great Britain at four successive Paralympic Games, twice winning a bronze medal in the women's doubles and is former world doubles champion and World Team Cup silver medallist amongst a number of other national and international successes.
Shuker made history at the London 2012 Paralympics alongside fellow Briton Jordanne Whiley when the pair became the first women to win a medal for Great Britain in wheelchair tennis, coming from match point down to secure bronze in the women's doubles event.[8][9]
Shuker and Whiley retained their bronze medal status in the women's wheelchair doubles at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.[10]
Early life
Shuker was born in Doha, Qatar, but grew up in Fleet, Hampshire. She comes from a badminton-playing family and started played badminton at an early age before going on to represent Hampshire County at national competitions, alongside her brother Matthew Shuker, who held a career high world ranking of no.43 in men's singles.[11] Shuker also had a love of horse riding until she had a motorbike accident at the age of 21 which left her paralysed from the T4 vertebra.[12]
Tennis career
Shuker started playing wheelchair tennis in 2002, less than 12 months after her life-changing motorbike accident.[13] She was introduced to the sport by former Quad World No.#1 Pete 'Quadfather' Norfolk during the process of buying her first wheelchair.
In 2013, Shuker became the first British wheelchair tennis player to compete at all four major Tennis Grand Slams in the same year when she competed at the US Open in New York, the same year that she obtained her highest singles ranking to date of world no.5.
In 2016, Shuker won her first Doubles Masters title, partnering Diede de Groot to the title.[14][15]
In 2018, she made a return to a Grand Slam final when she partnered Sabine Ellerbrock to reach the Wimbledon doubles final, and in 2021 she also reached the Australian Open doubles final with South African partner Kgothatso Montjane. In January 2019, Shuker and Montjane reached the semi-finals of the women's wheelchair doubles at the Australian Open, but were defeated by second seeds Marjolein Buis and Sabine Ellerbrock.[16]
In June 2021, she and Jordanne Whiley were among six tennis players named to represent the UK at the postponed 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.[17]
On 19 July 2024, Shuker was selected for her fifth Paralympics when she was named in the Great Britain team for the Paris edition later that year.[19][20] Shuker was selected to be the flag bearer for Great Britain for the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony.[21]
Personal life
Shuker graduated with a BSc Hons in the science and management of exercise and health from the University of Surrey in 2001.
In 2011, she was named the Vitalise Woman of Achievement, and collected the award from disability charity Vitalise in recognition of her achievements in the world of disabled sport.[22]
↑ "Birthday's today". The Telegraph. 28 May 2013. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014. Ms Lucy Shuker, tennis player; Paralympic bronze medallist wheelchair tennis doubles, London 2012, 33
Stéphane Houdet is a French wheelchair tennis player. Houdet is a former singles and doubles world number one. In 2014, he became the first man in history to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam in men's wheelchair doubles.
Great Britain competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom, from 29 August to 9 September 2012 as the host nation. A total of 288 athletes were selected to compete along with 13 other team members such as sighted guides. The country finished third in the medals table, behind China and Russia, winning 120 medals in total; 34 gold, 43 silver and 43 bronze. Multiple medallists included cyclist Sarah Storey and wheelchair athlete David Weir, who won four gold medals each, and swimmer Stephanie Millward who won a total of five medals. Storey also became the British athlete with the most overall medals, 22, and equal-most gold medals, 11, in Paralympic Games history.
Lisa Daniela "Danni" Di Toro is an Australian wheelchair tennis and para table tennis player. Di Toro was the 2010 French Open doubles champion and has also been the Masters double champion. In singles, Di Toro is the former world number one and two time masters finalist. In 2015, she moved to para-table tennis and represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, where she was team captain with Kurt Fearnley. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, her seventh Paralympics, she was the team captain and Opening Ceremony flag bearer with Ryley Batt. She competed at her eight Paralympics in Paris.
Jiske Griffioen is a Dutch professional wheelchair tennis player. Griffioen is a 20-time major champion, Paralympic gold medalist, seven-time Masters champion, and a former world No. 1. Alongside Aniek van Koot, Griffioen completed the Grand Slam in doubles in 2013. In singles, Griffioen is a three-time Masters champion, Paralympic gold medalist, four-time major champion, and a former world No. 1.
Sharon Walraven is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. She became paraplegic at age 23 after complications following a fall while she was ice-skating. She has won seven Grand Slams doubles titles partnering compatriot Esther Vergeer. At the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing she won the gold medal in the women's doubles competition. At the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney she won a silver medal in the women's singles competition. Walraven has a highest ranking of No.2 in singles and No.1 in doubles.
Jordanne Joyce Whiley MBE is a British retired wheelchair tennis player. Aged 14, she became Britain's youngest ever national women's singles champion in wheelchair tennis. She has osteogenesis imperfecta as does her father, Keith, who was also a Paralympian and won a bronze medal in 1984 in New York. As well as the 2015 US Open in wheelchair singles, Whiley has won 9 Grand Slam doubles titles, and she & Japanese Yui Kamiji are the fourth team in women's wheelchair doubles to complete the Calendar Year Grand Slam. Whiley was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2015 Queens Birthday Honours list for services to wheelchair tennis.
The women's singles wheelchair tennis competition at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London was held from 3 September to 8 September.
Aniek van Koot is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player who is a former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles.
Emmy Kaiser is an American wheelchair tennis player.
Kgothatso Montjane is a South African wheelchair tennis player. In 2024, she became the first black South African woman to win at Wimbledon when she won the wheelchair women's doubles.
Yui Kamiji is a Japanese professional wheelchair tennis player. She has won 28 major titles, as well as a Paralympic silver and bronze medal in singles and doubles, respectively, at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. She would later win gold in both at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. She also won a bronze medal in singles at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Four-time defending champion Yui Kamiji and her partner Diede de Groot defeated Sabine Ellerbrock and Lucy Shuker in the final, 6–1, 6–1 to win the ladies' doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships.
Defending champion Diede de Groot and her partner Marjolein Buis defeated Sabine Ellerbrock and Aniek van Koot in the final, 6–2, 6–4 to win the women's title at the 2017 Wheelchair Doubles Masters.
Defending champion Jiske Griffioen defeated Yui Kamiji in the final, 6–4, 6–4 to win the women's wheelchair tennis title at the 2016 Wheelchair Tennis Masters.
Yui Kamiji and Jordanne Whiley defeated the defending champions Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot in the final, 6–2, 6–4 to win the women's doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2020 Australian Open. It was their third Australian Open title as a pair, and Kamiji's fifth title in doubles.
The 2021 Wimbledon Championships was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom, the first since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Novak Djokovic successfully defended his gentlemen's singles title to claim his record-equalling 20th major title, defeating Matteo Berrettini in the final. Simona Halep was the defending ladies' singles champion from 2019, but she withdrew from the competition due to a calf injury. The Ladies' Singles title was won by Ashleigh Barty, who defeated Karolína Plíšková in the final.
Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot defeated Kgothatso Montjane and Lucy Shuker in the final, 6–4, 6–1 to win the women's doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2021 Australian Open. With the win, de Groot completed the double career Grand Slam.
Yui Kamiji and Jordanne Whiley defeated Kgothatso Montjane and Lucy Shuker in the final, 6–0, 7–6(7–0) to win the ladies' doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.
The women's doubles wheelchair tennis tournament at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo is held at the Ariake Tennis Park in Kōtō, Tokyo from 27 August to 4 September 2021.
Defending champion Yui Kamiji and her partner Dana Mathewson defeated Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot in the final, 6–1, 7–5 to win the ladies' doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
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Great Britain 
Silver medal (2020)
Silver Medals (2013, 2014)
Bronze Medals (2012, 2015, 2018, 2019)
