'I could never have dreamed of this': Stroud claims Paris 2024 firsts
Paralympic magic has struck on the opening day of Paris 2024 as Conner Stroud of the United States claimed his maiden Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis men’s singles victory.
The 24-year-old also won the race – by a matter of minutes – to record the first victory of the entire Paralympic Wheelchair Event, while by association it was the first on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Stroud set-up a second-round showdown with Japan’s Takashi Sanada after dispatching Costa Rica’s Jose Pablo Gil 6-3 6-1. In doing so, he reversed a pre-match head-to-head record which was unfavourable at best. Gil had won five of their previous six meetings.
The 24-year-old succumbed to Maikel Scheffers of Netherlands in the opening round of the men’s singles at Tokyo 2020, but he now has a famous victory to his name, memories of which will remain forever.
“It is incredibly special,” said Stroud. “I could never have dreamed of playing on Court Philippe Chatrier and I will always remember playing on such an historic court.
“To play in front of a big crowd to kickstart the Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event here, I was quite nervous going into it. The feeling, however, was unbelievable and I will always cherish it.
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“It is the biggest and best moment of my career. Starting on Philippe Chatrier, I could not ask for more. Playing my own game and playing how I know I can was also special.
“I tend not to like clay but when it’s at Roland Garros you cannot complain. I have been to Paris before, and I love it. I came here in 2021 as a hitting partner for Dana Mathewson. If you had told me back then I would play on Chatrier, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Stroud, who is from Rutherfordton in North Carolina, was born with proximal femoral focal deficiency which saw him born without femurs, hips, ankles or knees. At the age of two, he had surgery which amputated the front part of his feet.
After initially taking up tennis, Stroud made the transition to wheelchair tennis at the age 13, beginning the journey which has taken him to one of the world’s biggest courts on one of the biggest stages of all.
“I used to just play tennis standing up on my stubbies and I only got into wheelchair tennis a little later,” he added. “I never dreamed of where it could take me. It has taken me all over the world and given me a lot of opportunities.
“A couple of years in I started to have bigger aspirations than just playing locally or home tournaments. I would say I was 15 or 16 when I wanted to compete at the Paralympics and that dream came true in 2021 in Tokyo.
“But Paris 2024 is different for so many reasons. Having no fans in Tokyo made it challenging to get as fired up as you can be. As I say, getting my first Paralympic singles win here is special and I want to build on this momentum now.”