Yahoo Sport 
Great Britain's teenage tennis star Dahon Ward exits debut Paralympics with head held high
Derby's Dahon Ward is taking valuable lessons from his maiden Paralympics after relishing chance to play at the iconic Roland-Garros.
By James Toney in Paris
Derby's Dahnon Ward believes he's emerged a much better player for his debut Paralympics.
Ward exited the wheelchair tennis event at Roland Garros alongside fellow teenager Ben Bartram on Sunday, the British pair going down 6-2 7-5 to experienced Dutch partnership Tom Egberink and Maikel Scheffers.
Ward has never experienced the crowds of recent days at Roland Garros, as Paralympic tennis was hosted at an iconic Grand Slam venue for the first time.
And while he's still looking forward to his Wimbledon debut, Ward got a taste of playing against a home crowd as he lost 6-2 6-1 to experienced Frenchman Stephane Houde on the fabled Phillipe Chatrier show court.
“I’m going to take a lot of inspiration from these Games," said Ward, who is part of Aldi’s Nearest and Dearest programme in partnership with ParalympicsGB, helping to maximise support and minimise potential distractions for athletes so that they can focus on their performance.
"Playing in front of so many people earlier and getting to experience these occasions is so special, I just learned so much about myself in just a few days here. I have a real taste of what it’s all about and why we play the sport."
Ward and Bartram have grown up through the British junior system and hope they can forge a successful doubles partnership like Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, the 21-time Grand Slam doubles winners.
"I’m pleased with the comeback we made in the second set. I tried my best to support Ben when he was going through a struggle and I knew we had it in us to come back," added Ward.
"I was feeling good and waiting for Ben to catch up and I knew as soon as he started playing well, we had a chance as he’s like 70% of the team here, he really controls the court. I’m really pleased with what we achieved, it’s a shame about the last few games, it got a bit tight.”
Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024.
