Joachim Gerard

Over the last two seasons, Joachim Gerard has established himself as one of the top players on the circuit.

The big, powerful Belgian had a strong 2015 and beat the then world number one Shingo Kunieda to win the NEC Masters title.

Gerard’s impressive form at the end of 2015 saw him start 2016 strongly. He made the Australian Open final but was narrowly beaten by Great Britain’s Gordon Reid.

In his third Paralympic Games, Gerard played several stunning matches to make it to the semi-finals, where he lost to the eventual silver medallist Alfie Hewett of Great Britain. However, the strong right-hander still claimed the bronze medal by dispatching Frenchman and multi-medallist Stephane Houdet to win his first Paralympic medal.

The year ended with more delight as Gerard retained his Masters title after beating world number one Reid in the final to finish 2016 third in the tour rankings.