Sport Week: Classification in wheelchair tennis

Athletes are assigned to two sport classes, and all have an impairment that affects their legs. 05 Apr 2016

Female wheelchair tennis player in action on a blue court

Dutch wheelchair tennis player Jiske Griffioen at the London 2012 Paralympic Games

ⒸGetty Images

By IPC

Editor’s note: Each sport on the Rio 2016 Paralympic programme will have a dedicated week of featured content published on paralympic.org. Every week a new sport will be featured and the series will run until September’s Games, helping the public understand more about the 22 sports being contested in Rio.

Wheelchair tennis consists of two sport classes: open and quad. All players have an impairment that affects their legs.

Open Class

This sport class is designated for athletes, who have a significant and permanent impairment of one or both legs and normal arm function. This profile may match with athletes with paraplegia or leg amputations, for example.

Quad Class

Players in this class have an impairment affecting their playing arm as well as their legs. This limits their ability to handle the racket and to move in the wheelchair. You will find that players may use tape to securely grip the racket.

Athletes with these impairments are eligible to compete in wheelchair tennis:

•Impaired muscle power

•Athetosis

•Impaired passive range of movement

•Hypertonia

•Limb deficiency

•Ataxia

•Leg length difference

Helpful links

IPC classification webpage

ITF classification pdf

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