Stephane Houdet: 'History has shown us it's good to be inclusive'

Stephane Houdet was part of the marathon match that concluded day one of the Australian Open wheelchair tennis draw.

After over two-and-a-half hours on court, the Frenchman came out on top against Britain's Gordon Reid in a competitive and close exchange 7-6 (10-8) 5-7 6-2 to book his spot in the semi-finals in Melbourne.

The duo played in front of a packed crowd on court seven, but the world No 3 admitted it was not an easy match to close out.

Houdet said: "I expected a tough match because 10 days ago in Bendigo Gordon just killed Jo (Gerard) on court, which shows he's really strong right now, so I just had one thing on my mind the whole match today and that was to stay focused and do what I had to do to win.

"I was in real trouble with the returns because he served pretty well all match and didn't double fault until the end of the second, beginning of the third set and that's what made the difference and changed the game."

Houdet, who has shown some incredible form at the beginning of this season heading into the Australian Open - claiming the singles title at the first Super Series of the year in Bendigo and making it to the semi-finals of the Melbourne Open last week, will now face Argentina's Gustavo Fernandez.

Hello Hawkeye

One of the new aspects that has been brought into the wheelchair tennis matches this year is the addition of Hawkeye from the start of the tournament.

Previously for the wheelchair draw the ability to challenge a call has been preserved for those who make it to Grand Slam finals on show courts, but in 2019 the Australian Open has made it possible from day one of the draw on the outer courts.

And it is a move that Houdet praised after his victory.

"It was perfect to have the challenges," he said. "It kind of helps you stay calm and serene because you know if the ball is actually out or not for certain, when you are uncertain.

"It really helped me stay peaceful the whole match."

Potential Next Steps

Off the court, Houdet is a big supporter of getting anyone and everyone playing wheelchair tennis, regardless of whether they have a disability or not.

In time he would love to see the sport feature in the Olympics as well as the Paralympics, with potentially some of the top players on the ATP and WTA Tours competing alongside those on the wheelchair tour.

He said: "We want to compete with the world because if we can beat someone who is called and seen as 'able' then it'll change the world and how people think.

"When you look at the body of Gustavo (Fernandez), very strong upper limbs, he could be the best in the whole world, not just the best in a wheelchair.

"My point in this though is not to change tennis and to say to everyone now you have to play tennis in a chair, instead my point is to say if you want to it's possible, because anyone who wants to play wheelchair tennis should be able to - able-bodied or disabled.

"History has shown us it's good to be inclusive so I think we need to go to the next step and find a sport that we can all share - let's play together, let's improve the game, increase the number of players and change the world."