Todd Reid, former junior Wimbledon champion, dies aged 34

The death of former junior Wimbledon champion Todd Reid at the age of 34 has shaken the Australian tennis community.

Former tennis player Todd Reid, pictured in 2008, has died aged 34.

The death of former junior Wimbledon champion Todd Reid at the age of 34 has shaken the Australian tennis community.

Reid, who died on Tuesday, demonstrated he was capable of making the sometimes difficult transition from junior champion to the senior tour through a strong summer in 2004 capped by an appearance in the third round of the Australian Open.

Once dubbed “the next big thing in tennis”, the Sydneysider reached a ranking of 105 during this period, an indication that he was on track for a successful career as he sought to follow a path blazed by then world No 1 Lleyton Hewitt.

Todd Reid plays his first match at the 2008 APS Manly Seaside Tennis Championship at the Manly Lawn Tennis Centre.

His court coverage and adeptness from the baseline prompted some comparisons to the dual-grand slam champion and hefty sponsorship contracts signed while he was a teenager added to the expectations Reid faced.

But a serious bout of glandular fever and repeated injury struggles led to him walking away from the sport for a period just a year later in 2005 at the age of 20.

Although he played sporadically from then on, he was never really free from injury.

The cause of Reid’s death is unknown.