Wheelchair tennis player wins first Grand Slam title

Ruben Harris, from Canterbury, won the junior boys doubles wheelchair event at Roland Garros

A teenager tennis player from Kent who lost both his feet following a series of lengthy operations as a child has won his first Grand Slam title.

Ruben Harris, from Canterbury, won the Junior Boys doubles wheelchair event at Roland Garros.

He partnered Austria’s Maximilian Taucher to seal the inaugural French Open boys’ wheelchair doubles title

Ruben, 17, told BBC South East: "Playing tennis gives me freedom, in the chair. I just feel free."

Ruben said winning a Grand Slam had "always been a dream"

Ruben, who was born with congenital talipes equinovarus, more commonly known as clubfeet, started playing wheelchair tennis at the age of 11.

His natural talent for the game was spotted early on and by the age of 13 he was on the Wheelchair Tennis National Age Group Programme, run by the LTA.

The programme is designed to support junior players with potential to succeed at Grand Slam and Paralympic level.

Ruben said: "It's definitely a goal to go to the Paralympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.

"I train around 12 hours a week, including two in the gym.

"I tried to play other wheelchair sports, such as basketball. I didn't really enjoy it, but then I started playing tennis and I just liked it and just carried on coming.

"Winning a Grand Slam has always been a dream, but I'm really excited I've done that."

Junior singles

Simon Grieve, head coach at Canterbury Tennis Club and part of Ruben’s coaching team, said: "It is amazing he won the Grand Slam.

"He's worked so hard for this for the last few years and it's just great seeing the smile on his face when he came back to talk all about it."

Ruben lost to his doubles partner in the semi-finals of the singles event.

He is currently ranked 6th in the world in junior singles and is combining his studies in sport with global travel on the tennis circuit.

Junior wheelchair tennis featured for the first time in a major tournament with its inclusion in the French Open.

The US Open is set to follow suit later this year.