Wheelchair Tennis
Wheelchair tennis was first established in France in the 1980s and debut a decade later at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games.
about wheelchair tennis
"Paralympic tennis" is more accurately referred to as wheelchair tennis. The mobilised racket sport is played by athletes attempting to hit a ball from their side of the court over a net, to the other side without their opponent successfully returning the ball.
There are no modifications to the size of the court, rackets or tennis balls compared to the able-bodied version of the sport. The main differences are the specially designed wheelchairs and the 'two-bounce rule,' whereby the ball can bounce twice before being hit.
There are three categories athletes compete in: men's, women's and quads; each division has singles and doubles tournaments.
Athletes compete in a series of tournaments including Grand Slams: The Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open, plus the singles and doubles Masters.
The sport's global governing body is the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Wheelchair tennis has been under the jurisdiction of the ITF since 1992.
Wheelchair Tennis history
The history of wheelchair tennis begins in 1976 when former US freestyle skier Brad Parks founded the sport following a skiing accident that left him paralysed. He observed able- bodied tennis players and challenged himself to create a version of the game for him and his friends in recovery.
Although wheelchair tennis was first showcased during the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games in, the event debuted at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games. The International Wheelchair Tennis Federation (IWTF) also featured the establishment in 1988.
There have been copious wheelchair tennis Paralympic Games and evolutions of the sport within them. During the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, quad singles and doubles competitions were added as events, and form the competition programme to this day.
The sport has rapidly evolved over the past 50 years. The Barcelona 1992 wheelchair tennis Paralympics events featured four events, 48 participants (32 men and 16 women), and 16 countries. In comparison, the Beijing 2008 Paralympics included six events, with 112 participants (77 men and 35 women) representing 35 countries, the most of any Paralympic Games to date.
The Netherlands is the country with the most gold medals amongst their Para athletes. Leading by a large margin, it has 22 gold medals, compared to second highest earning country, Japan with seven gold medals.
Did you know ?
The creator of wheelchair tennis used innovative ways to promote the sport during the1970's, showcasing it on beach parking lots, other disabled sporting events, and on ice at ice hockey games.
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Wheelchair Tennis News
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David Hall celebrates 25 years since Sydney 2000
How special was it to win a gold medal on home soil at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games? We caught up with wheelchair tennis legend David Hall to find out
Wheelchair tennis stars return to Roland Garros
Paris 2024 Paralympic champions Tokito Oda, Yui Kamiji, and Niels Vink headline a 40-player field across the men’s, women’s, and quad draws at Roland Garros
Kamiji and Oda make triumphant return
Japanese wheelchair tennis stars Yui Kamiji and Tokito Oda win Roland Garros singles titles, less than a year after topping Paris 2024 podium
Tokito Oda completes Golden Slam
Tokito Oda became the youngest wheelchair tennis player in history to compete the career Golden Slam, and only the fourth Para athlete ever to achieve the feat
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Sam Schroder won his fourth straight quad singles title at the Australian Open
Paralympic champions triumph at wheelchair tennis singles masters
Paris 2024 champions Tokito Oda, Yui Kamiji and Niels Vink won the men’s, women’s and quad titles at the Wheelchair Singles Master, the International Tennis Federation’s year-end championships
Federation contact information
Wheelchair Tennis
Ellen DeLange
PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORT RESULTS
Search for all results from Paralympic Games events and selected other international Para sport events.
Wheelchair Tennis FAQ
Compared to tennis, wheelchair tennis allows for the ball to be bounced twice on a player’s side of the court before it is returned. Otherwise, equipment such as the wheelchair differentiates the sport from tennis.
Any able-bodied person can recreationally participate in wheelchair tennis. Although, the Paralympic wheelchair tennis rules state that one must have either a permanent physical disability affecting one or both legs (open class) or further mobility impairment in one or more arms (quad class). To compete in Para sport and Paralympic Games athletes must be classed according to their impairments.
No, wheelchair tennis is an event in the Paralympics. Tennis is played in the Olympics. Although wheelchair tennis is governed by the International Federation (IF), the same IF for able-bodied tennis.
Yes, in wheelchair tennis when a wheelchair user crosses the back line when serving, it is considered a foot fault. In wheelchair tennis, the wheelchair is recognised as a part of the athlete’s body.
A ball can bounce twice before it must be returned.
Wheelchair tennis is played on grass courts, hard courts, and clay courts.
Yes, the same ball is used in both tennis and wheelchair tennis.