USTA Announces Players and Coaches for 2011 World Team Cup

The USTA has announced the players and coaches who will represent the United States at the 2011 World Team Cup.

The nation’s top wheelchair tennis players will compete against participants from around the globe, 25 April to 1 May, on the hard courts of the University of Pretoria, South Africa. The university, which is one of three ITF regional training centres, has 22 hard courts and is also the main training base for tennis players in South Africa.

South Africa will become the 16th nation to host this prestigious event. Often referred to as the wheelchair tennis equivalent of pro tennis’ Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions, the World Team Cup tournament brings the world’s best wheelchair tennis players together to compete for national pride in one of the world’s premier tennis team events.

Over 200 players from more than 30 nations are expected to participate in the 2011 event in South Africa.

Representing the United States at the 2011 World Team Cup will be:

Men’s Team Quad Team

Dan James (Coach) Oakdale, Minn. Jason Harnett (Coach) Irvine, Calif.

Paul Moran Northfield, Ill. Bryan Barten Tucson, Ariz.

Jon Rydberg Oakdale, Minn. Nick Taylor Wichita, Kan.

Stephen Welch Southlake, Texas David Wagner Hillsboro, Ore.

Women’s Team Junior’s Team

Paul Walker (Coach) Lakeland, Fla. Keri Preng (Coach) Cold Spring, Ky.

Emmy Kaiser Ft. Mitchell, Ky. Shelby Baron Honolulu, Hawaii

Dana Mathewson San Diego, Calif. Ryan Nelson Sandy, Utah

Kaitlyn Verfuerth Tucson, Ariz. Katherine Stuteville Colleyville, Texas

Team Trainer Team Manager

Jenna Street Colorado Springs, Colo. Jeremiah Yolkut White Plains, N.Y.

Team Staff

William Taylor Wichita, Kan.

The United States Quad Team will look to bring home the quad title for the fifth time in the last seven years at the World Team Cup. The two-time Paralympic Doubles Gold Medalists’ team of David Wagner and Nick Taylor are looking to defend the U.S. quad title that they won over Israel last year.

The USTA was officially designated by the USOC as the national governing body for the Paralympic sport of wheelchair tennis in June 2002, becoming the first Olympic national governing body to earn this recognition. As the national governing body for wheelchair tennis, the USTA manages wheelchair tennis in the United States, including the sanctioning of tournaments, overseeing wheelchair rankings, creating and managing a High Performance program for developing elite disabled athletes, and selecting teams to compete internationally for the United States.