Roar! Tennis Paralympic Star Gordon Reid Meets His Namesake Lion Cub

The world's no. 3 tennisplayer Gordon Reid, who hails from Alexandria in West Dunbartonshire met his namesake lion cub while visiting Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling.

In a report from The National, the lion cub is one of the four cubs bred by a lioness in the safari park last month. The name "Reid" is selected via a public poll.

This heartwarming visit happened before the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion's flight to Brazil to compete in wheelchair tennis for the Rio Paralympics, which will begin on Sept. 9. Reid was seen playing with his cute namesake cub with tennis balls.

"Obviously it's not something that happens every day getting a little lion cub named after you so it was cool to go in and meet them and have a little cuddle and then have a little play with them as well. I'm still alive so that's the main thing," Reid said. He even added that he was trying to get his head down close to the cub and it took a jump to him. But for sure, little "Reid" is cuddly than the mother lioness.

Speaking of his much-awaited competition in Rio, Evening Times, Reid is excited and looking forward to getting started. He said that he is not going to start until Sept. 9 that "got a quite a while to get over there, acclimatize" and carry out his final preparation in Brazil.

 "I'm feeling good, I feel ready and just kind of raring to go," the star tennis player enthusiastically said.

Aside from Reid, the three other lion cubs in the safari park were named Murray, Thistle and Isla and they are all believed to be doing well. These four cute lion cubs will start to "venture out" from about eight weeks of age and they are still subject to routine health checks, Evening Times reports.