GORDON Reid looked back with fondness yesterday to a tennis apprenticeship served in the raw. Indeed it wasn't until he was struck down by transverse myelitis as a teenager and decided to have a crack at re-inventing himself as a proponent of the wheelchair version of the sport that he ever chanced upon that rare luxury of an indoor court.

Subjecting himself to the sleet, hail, rain and snow of Helensburgh during the winter months might not have done him any harm, but that doesn't mean that future generations shouldn't aspire to better. Now World No 1, the 25-year-old last night hailed the £15m funding pledged by the LTA and sportscotland to double Scotland's network of 102 indoor courts as a game changer for the sport in this country, at both the elite and participation end. Only a small percentage of the current group are council run and available on a pay and play basis.

"It’s a brilliant announcement," said Reid, who met the media prior to one of his usual practice sessions at the Gannochy campus at the University of Stirling. "It’s a lot of money that is hopefully going to go a long way. There are big plans to double the number of covered courts. You’re talking about doubling the outreach to the country and getting more and more people playing tennis.

"I’ve played in all sorts of weather," he added. "I used to train as a little boy outdoors all through the winters in Helensburgh in the snow, rain, sleet and hail. It didn’t matter what the weather was like – you still had to play. I didn’t play on an indoor court until I started playing wheelchair tennis.

"But when it’s indoor, especially in the winter, it’s more enjoyable. Hopefully it will mean tennis is more fun, especially for younger people. No one wants to be out in the snow. The standard and enjoyment levels are going to be a lot higher if people are playing on indoor courts that are warm and lit up. Playing tennis indoors is a lot easier for coaches, as well. It will make a big difference and it is really exciting news."

Reid is the third prong of a stellar year for Scottish tennis, which ends with he, Andy and Jamie Murray all able to call themselves the best in the world at their chosen disciplines. While this could be a once-in-a-lifetime moment for the sport in this country - don't bet on it where these three are all still involved - all Reid knows is that the odds of future World No 1s coming from this country of five million people are only enhanced when the infrastructure is there to accommodate them.

"Tennis in Scotland has had a brilliant year with Andy, Jamie and myself," he said. "Hopefully, we can build on this success.

"It’s impossible to predict where the next sport stars are going to come from," he added. "They could be anywhere. But the more facilities you have at hand, the more opportunities there are to play and the more chance of finding the next big players.

"It will be interesting – but it’s not all about that side of tennis. It’s also about getting as many people playing as possible and for them to enjoy the social side of the sport. The more courts there are, the more it is going to happen."

That includes the wheelchair version of the sport, which is coming off a breakthrough year. As if to illustrate the point Reid, whose 2016 haul included two Grand Slam singles titles, two Grand Slam doubles crown, and Olympic gold and silver, used the case of another aspiring Scottish wheelchair tennis star in the form of Ruari Logan. The 14-year-old has qualified for January's Junior Masters and has played for Great Britain in the Junior World Team Cup.

"The fact the Paralympics and some of the Wimbledon matches have been televised has given the sport greater outreach to a bigger audience," said Reid. "The Glasgow Wheelchair Tennis Tournament that happens annually was the biggest we’ve ever had right off the back of Rio. For me, it has been inspiring seeing other wheelchair tennis players beginning to play at the same age as when I first started playing. Ruari is 14 years old, still young, but he is a talented player. You never know what might happen. He is coached by Kevin Simpson, who is one of my former practise partners. So I get all the updates."

While Storm Barbara struck Scotland, Reid will soon be off to Australia, where he plays alongside ATP Tour stars in Brisbane and Sydney before attempting to defend his Australian Open title. "I’m looking forward to going out to Australia," said Reid. "I feel in good shape. I have been putting in a lot of good training since Rio and working on a few things. It’s going to be a different feeling for me out there being defending champion, but it doesn’t change what I’m going to try to do. I’m going there to win and enjoy it."