British Paralympians showcase wheelchair tennis

London 2012 Paralympians Gordon Reid and Marc McCarroll put on a brief wheelchair tennis demo during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. 06 Nov 2012

A picture of a man in a wheelchair playing tennis.

Marc McCarroll in action during a wheelchair tennis demo at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

ⒸBritish Tennis

By IPC

“It was brilliant to meet so many tennis fans today, and I hope they got a taste of how wheelchair tennis can be just as exciting as the game being played this week by Andy Murray and company,”

Members of Great Britain’s London 2012 Paralympic wheelchair tennis team gave fans at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals some extra entertainment on Monday (5 November), as they showcased their sport at the O2 Arena in London.

Gordon Reid joined teammate Marc McCarroll on the practice courts to show off the skills that earned them a place to compete at the Paralympics.

After watching Andy Murray win his opening match against Tomas Berdych, fans were treated to some shots and tricks from Reid and McCarroll before Reid got the better of McCarroll in a one-set match with a 6-2 win.

“It was brilliant to meet so many tennis fans today, and I hope they got a taste of how wheelchair tennis can be just as exciting as the game being played this week by Andy Murray and company,” McCarroll told British Tennis afterwards.

The pair then teamed up to defeated their coaches Stuart Wilkinson and Karen Ross in an integrated match.

“The crowd was amazing here today at the O2. I’d encourage all of them to come to one of the seven wheelchair tennis tournaments that will be played across the UK in 2013,” Reid said.

Reid, ranked No. 10 in the world, was a quarter-finalist in both the singles and doubles events at London 2012, while McCarroll is No. 20 in the world rankings and was Reid’s doubles partner at the Paralympics.

Reid will now compete in the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters in Mechelen, Belgium, which begin on Wednesday.