David Wagner (tennis)

David Wagner (born March 4, 1974) is an American wheelchair tennis player. Despite being paralyzed from the mid-chest down and having only thirty percent function in his hands, he became an amazing athlete. He competes in the quad division, a special group for players who face big physical challenges.

David plays tennis by taping the racket to his hand, showing incredible skill and strength. Because of his hard work and talent, he is currently ranked number three in the world in singles and number two in doubles. His story shows that with determination, people can achieve great things, no matter what challenges they face.

Early life

David Wagner was born in Fullerton, California and grew up in Walla Walla, Washington. He played basketball in high school and tennis in college. When he was 21, he visited a friend in Redondo Beach, California during summer break. While playing frisbee on the beach with friends, he tried to jump over a wave but lost his balance and fell, which left him unable to use his body from the chest down.

After this, he took a break from college and started practicing table tennis to help him recover. He went on to win a national competition in table tennis three times in a row, from 1997 to 1999.

Tennis career

In 1999, at age 25, David Wagner went to a special training camp for wheelchair tennis started by Rick Draney, who was the best quadriplegic tennis player in the world at the time. Wagner quickly fell in love with the sport, and by 2002, he became the top-ranked U.S. quadriplegic player.

Wagner reached the number one spot in the world for both doubles and singles in wheelchair tennis. He won gold and silver medals at the 2004 Summer Paralympics, and continued to win medals in later Paralympics in 2008, 2012, and 2016. He helped make wheelchair tennis more popular by urging big tournaments like the U.S. Open and the Australian Open to include a special division for players like him. Today, he teaches others in camps and clinics, encouraging everyone to try out this amazing sport.

Personal life

David Wagner graduated with a degree for teaching elementary school in 2000. However, in 2001, he chose to focus on being a wheelchair tennis player instead. He lived in Hillsboro, Oregon from 2006 to 2014 and then moved to Chula Vista, California. Today, he trains at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, where he is the only tennis player there.

Tennis career statistics

Grand Slam performance timelines

Current through the 2025 Australian Open.

Quad singles

Quad doubles