British wheelchair tennis player Lucy Shuker has retired after 24 years as a professional and three Paralympic medals. The 46-year-old finishes her career with 100 doubles titles and 39 singles titles.
Shuker represented Great Britain at five consecutive Paralympics. She won one silver and two bronze medals between 2012 and 2020, all in the women’s doubles alongside Jordanne Whiley. She was a nine-time Grand Slam finalist and a seven-time World Team Cup medalist.
Shuker announced during Wimbledon this year that she would retire at the end of the season. At that point she had 98 doubles titles. She reached her goal of 100 earlier this month, when she and Ruby Bishop won at the WC50 Abingdon in Oxfordshire.
Honors and final match
Shuker received the British Empire Medal for services to sport in 2023. She also served as Great Britain’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
Her last match came on Wednesday at the Wheelchair Tennis Finals in Barcelona. She and Ksenia Chasteau lost 6-3, 6-1 to the Dutch pair of Diede de Groot and Aniek Van Koot.
Career highlights and ranking
Shuker lived and trained in Somerset for much of her career. She reached a career-high ranking of fifth in the world in singles. She retires ranked 23rd in the world and is the British number two, behind Cornelia Oosthuizen, who is ranked 20th.
Tributes from the LTA
LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd praised Shuker’s contribution to the sport. “I would like to congratulate Lucy on her fantastic career and thank her for the contribution she has made to wheelchair tennis both on and off the court,” he said.
“To compete at the highest level of the game for over 20 years is a remarkable achievement and testament to her dedication and professionalism,” Lloyd added. “She has been, and will continue to be, a passionate advocate for the development of the sport and we look forward to working with her to continue to grow the game for future generations.”