Wheelchair tennis

Wheelchair tennis is a special kind of tennis that people who use wheelchairs can play. It is very much like regular tennis, with the same court size, net height, and rackets.

But there are two big differences: players use wheelchairs made just for tennis, and the ball can bounce up to two times before being hit.

People have been playing wheelchair tennis at big tournaments, called the Grand Slams, since 2007. It is also one of the sports at the Summer Paralympics. There are three groups of players: Men, Women, and Quads. Each group has singles and doubles matches. The Quad group is for players who cannot use one or more arms well.

History

Wheelchair tennis became popular in 1976 thanks to Brad Parks, who helped start competitive games. In 1982, France was the first European country to start a wheelchair tennis program. The sport became well-known and was shown at the Seoul 1988 Summer Paralympics.

By the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona, wheelchair tennis became a full competition. The 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney helped many people learn more about the sport. It was soon played at the four big tennis tournaments, called the Grand Slams. In 2004, a new category for players with different abilities was added to the Paralympic Games. The Netherlands has won many big tournaments. Esther Vergeer won four gold medals at the Paralympics in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012.

Major tournaments

The ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour has many international tournaments for players using wheelchairs. The tour includes several types of events, like the famous Grand Slams: the Australian Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and US Open. These big tournaments also have special events for quad players, who use a different kind of wheelchair.

There is a team event called the ITF BNP Paribas World Team Cup, where players from different countries play together. Every year, teams from many places around the world join in. The top players end the year at the Wheelchair Tennis Masters, where the best players from all over compete. Wheelchair tennis is also played at the Paralympic Games.