The wheelchair tennis star from Verwood returns to the Miami Open aiming for back-to-back victories alongside partner Aniek van Koot, after the pair lifted the women’s doubles trophy at the Hard Rock Stadium 12 months ago.
Their win came during the tournament’s wheelchair tennis exhibitions, but this year marks a historic step forward as the Miami Open hosts a WT500 world ranking event on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour for the first time.
Lucy Shuker (GBR) (Image: Louisiana Photographic Society)
Ms Shuker said: “Miami is a step forward on the wheelchair tour.
“To be part of an iconic event such as the Miami Open is an honour and will show the Miami crowd what wheelchair tennis players can do.
“It’s a small draw (eight players), so to qualify alone is extremely hard and every match is going to be tough, but I’ll give it my all and I’m looking forward to partnering again with Aniek and trying to defend our title.”
Ms Shuker, a T4 paraplegic since being injured in a motorcycle accident in 2001 and the highest world-ranked female player for someone of her spinal lesion and functional ability.
She and Van Koot head into the Miami Open fresh from a runner-up finish at the 2026 Cajun Classic in Baton Rouge.
Despite trailing 4-0 in the second set of the final against Zhu Zhenzhen and Momoko Ohtani, the pair fought back before losing 6-4, 7-6(3).
Lucy Shuker and Aniek van Koot in action at the 2026 Cajun Classic. (Image: Louisiana Photographic Society)
Ms Shuker said: “Reflecting on last weekend’s doubles final in Baton Rouge, I feel proud of how we fought.
“Ultimately, we didn’t get the title at one of my favourite tournaments, but we showed how we can really pull together even when facing a tough task.
“In the second set after going 4-0 and 5-2 down we found a real calm, solid level of play and if we hadn’t had the error-prone part of the match, it could have been a different story.
“But that’s tennis and I’ll definitely take the positives out of it into Miami.”
Shuker’s return to Miami not only marks her pursuit of another trophy, but also her continued contribution to the growth of wheelchair tennis, a sport that celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026.