Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez issued a statement of intent by dispatching home favourite Gordon Reid in the opening round of the men’s wheelchair singles at The Championships, Wimbledon.

The draw pitted the two former Wimbledon champions together, but it was Fernandez who prevailed, chalking up his second grass-court victory in as many weeks against the 26-time Grand Slam champion.

World No. 3 Fernandez, who was dumped out of Wimbledon in the first round by Reid 12 months ago, was understandably elated and will now face Tom Egberink of Netherlands for a place in the semi-finals.

“For sure, I am immensely pleased and proud of that victory,” Fernandez told itftennis.com. “I played a good match in what was the toughest draw I could get.

“I have been playing consistently well the last couple of weeks, but anything can happen as Gordon is a wonderful player. It is great to go through and great to win here again after a couple of years. I’m pleased I pulled it off.”

Fernandez, who is seeded No. 3 here, opted to miss the Australian swing earlier this year in order to prioritise his mental and physical wellbeing. Upon his return to the court, the 30-year-old made reference to ‘the darkest moments of anxiety’.

Following his victory over Reid, the 2019 Wimbledon champion suggested that this year, through his journey of self-discovery, has been one of the most pivotal of his career, if not life.

“For the moment, I am happy with the way I am playing, and I am happy with the way I am mentally and physically,” said 2024 British Open champion Fernandez. “It is not an easy road that I have been on, with what I had to deal with at the end of last year and the beginning of this.

“It is not an easy road every day, especially mentally. This thing comes and goes but I struggle every day and I try to be the best I can be every day and take one step forward every day.

“I am happy that I have perspective. It is good to win but it is only tennis and life goes on. I have been here winning and been here losing and the world keeps spinning.

“But this year has been a very challenging year but also a very positive year in terms of self-development. I am really happy with the way I went through all the situations. I don’t want to go through another year without enjoying it.

“It has made me stronger. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity to grow. This is the year I have grown the most, mentally and physically. I have also grown as a person, a grown up, a husband and a friend.

“In a lot of ways, even though I have had bad times, this has been a great year.”

The rain may have delayed proceedings by 24 hours but today was an important moment in the history of wheelchair tennis. For the first time at Wimbledon, the men’s and women’s singles draws feature 16 competitors.

Wimbledon joined the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open in expanding draw sizes and a total of 40 players lined up for the start of the SW19 wheelchair tennis event. A significant moment in the sport’s history, according to Fernandez.

“It is huge,” added Fernandez. “For us, it is great because it gives everyone a good base of possibilities within the sport and allows players to grow. It also maintains the evolution of wheelchair tennis. Only good things can come from of this.”

A full list of results from the 2024 wheelchair tennis events at Wimbledon is available here.