Manager Julen Lopetegui and players welcomed Britain’s number one Quad Wheelchair tennis player and lifelong West Ham United fan Andy Lapthorne to their training ground earlier this month.
Known for being a huge Hammers fan, Lapthorne spent the day watching the players go through their paces at Rush Green then had time to chat with them, as we stepped up our preparations ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Hammer Lapthorne begins his quest to win a first gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris on Friday, when he faces world No12, Diego Perez, in the first round, while he and his Quad Wheelchair Doubles partner Greg Slade (world No.13) have received a bye into the second round at Roland Garros.
Lapthorne is one of the outstanding stars of the circuit, a former World No1. He won the US Open Singles title in 2014 and 2019, reached the final of Wimbledon in 2019, was runner-up at both the Australian Open and French Open in 2020, and has won 58 career Singles crowns.
Now ranked No4, Lapthorne spoke to whufc.com about his passion for West Ham United, his favourite moments in Claret and Blue, and how he’s chasing an elusive Gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics…
Great to chat to you, Andy. First of all, tell us how you became a Hammer!
“My Dad's side of the family is all from east London and all West Ham supporters, so it was a natural thing for me and my brother to follow my Dad's team, and that's what we did. For me, growing up in the early days of going down to the Upton Park, watching people like [Paolo] Di Canio and players like that. That's where I sort of fell in love with the team. I remember being at Old Trafford when Di Canio scored that goal past [Fabien] Barthez, and that was kind of the moment for me, when I knew that this was my team and was the team I wanted to follow everywhere. Ever since that moment, it's sort of been like a drug for me, really. We've had Season Tickets for 15 or 16 years now. For me, a big part of it was getting to go to the football with my Dad at the weekend’s and share something we both follow passionately, as it’s a massive part of our lives. There's a big group of about ten of us that go to all the games both home and away. We rarely miss one.”
How special was it to be invited down to Rush Green and meet the Head Coach and players earlier this month?
“It was amazing to be invited down to the training ground and to be able to meet the players and manager ahead of what should be a very exciting season ahead. For me as a boyhood West Ham fan, it was amazing to be here, as this is the Club that I love and that I follow all around Europe, so to be made to feel part of it has been very special, and I’m very grateful. To be here as a fan and watch the guys that we class as heroes, people we admire so much and enjoy supporting, is amazing, and we’ve got such a good group of guys who play for West Ham now who have really connected with the fanbase. From a sporting point of view, for someone like me to come down here and have a look at other sports and other elite athletes and see how they do things and how they work is very valuable, and you can always pick things up and take it back to your own training environment.”
What’s your favourite West Ham moment?
“There have been some amazing highs and some massive lows, but any West Ham fan will tell you that's all part of being a West Ham fan. The moments over the last sort of four or five years, getting the opportunity to travel around Europe with my friends to watch the team we love has been amazing. The last season at Upton Park was unbelievable. Every game the place was rocking, and it was amazing to be there for those moments. Lyon was something that I will never forget – the whole weekend was amazing. Obviously, there are not many disability supporters that travel in the chair to the European away games, but the whole fan base is great, and they look after me. Everyone's always coming up and making sure I'm alright doing alright. The European away days have been definitely the best memories for me and my mates over the last few years, and the whole movement of the Club over the last ten years has been amazing!”
How have the fans supported you throughout your tennis career?
“The number of messages I get from West Ham fans is so encouraging, and it's such a family-orientated Club. It's incredible, especially during Grand Slams, when people are able to tune in. I've had some big losses in my career, but I've always had hundreds of messages on my social media pages encouraging me to carry on and do better, and that’s the time where I've really noticed West Ham fans are really good at rallying around well. They’re a massive part of what I do. Vladimír Coufal came down and watched me at Wimbledon this year as well, which was amazing!”
You’re representing Team GB at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, starting on Friday 30 August. How much are you looking forward to that?
“It’s always special, and is the one time we get to play in a team environment. Tennis is a very individual sport, so to be part of the Paralympics Team GB for a couple of weeks is always special. For me, I'm chasing that elusive Gold medal. I've got two Silvers and a Bronze, so I'm trying to complete the set. It’s just always an honour to play for Great Britain and represent the country, and it's massive for me. I'll be going out and trying my best to do that to the best of my ability.”
Talk to us about your career in Tennis. You turned professional in 2005, have been world number one and won 58 career Singles crowns.
“It's been amazing. Obviously, growing up with a disability is not easy, but I was always treated completely the same. My first dream as a child was to play for West Ham. But then when you get to an age where you sort of realise your legs don't work the same as what normal people's legs do, for me, it was about finding a sport that could feed the hunger for competitiveness and also a sport that I could earn a living off.
“I’m at a point now where everything I do is just a bonus for me now. If someone had said to me when I first started that I was going to have 17 Grand Slams and three Paralympic medals, then I would’ve shaken their hand there and then. To have achieved all of my goals that I set out to achieve has been amazing. I’m older now, but I’m still striving to get back to where I was and am enjoying the challenge of trying to do things a bit differently and trying to get back to the top of the game.
“If you look back sort of 15 or 16 years now, there wasn't a lot of disability sports on TV. There weren't a lot of disability sports that you could earn a living off. I stumbled across tennis where they were starting to play in the Grand Slams, it was a professional tour, there was money to be made, and it fed into everything I was looking for. I turned professional when I was 16, which was very young, but I have been on a journey over the last sort of 20 years, where the sport has just skyrocketed. We're now in Grand Slams, live on TV, fully professional, and there's this big prize money to be made. We travel the same circuit as the ATP guys, so it's been a privilege to be part of growing the sport and moving disability sport in the right direction.”
You must have inspired a lot of young up and coming players as well?
“I've had that quite a lot recently. I played a 17-year-old Argentinian guy recently, and we played a really close match. We were at the net and shook hands, and he said I'm one of the reasons why he started playing. That was one of the big things for me growing up, as I didn't have people like me on TV. My heroes were all West Ham players, boxers or able-bodied people. But just seeing people in wheelchairs playing sports is a massive part of growing our sport, especially during Wimbledon when it's live on TV and stuff. There are so many players coming up that are being inspired by other disability athletes and it's a good step in the right direction.”
How much are you looking forward to the Julen Lopetegui era at West Ham United?
“I think everyone's excited when West Ham employ a manager that has managed Real Madrid, and that tells you everything you need to know. So we're all looking forward to seeing what he [Julen Lopetegui] is going to provide in terms of football. David Moyes had had his way of playing, and it was very successful. But I think everyone's ready now for a fresh start, and it’s definitely been a statement of intent this summer and where we want to be as a Club.
I think West Ham fans are living in fantasyland at the moment [with the new signings]. I’m really looking forward to seeing [Jean-Clair] Todibo play, because I've seen that he is highly-rated and is someone that I have watched some clips of. He looks like this type of player that I would enjoy watching. And then obviously a player like Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who we all know what he's capable of. I’m excited and looking forward to what we can achieve this season.”
*Andy Lapthorne will be in action at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, with the Quad Wheelchair Singles starting on Friday 30 August, and Doubles starting on Saturday 31 August, with coverage on Channel 4, More4, Channel 4 Streaming and Channel 4 Sport's YouTube.
