Wheelchair Tennis
The Great British sporting summer is here and, of course, that means Wimbledon. Britain’s wheelchair tennis players are likely to be among the star attractions at the All England Club once again, with Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid having won their fourth Wimbledon men’s doubles title last year. They then broke the record for the most Grand Slam doubles titles won in a row by any doubles team when they won the Australian Open in January. That was their ninth successive Grand Slam title together.
How good are Great Britain’s players?
Great Britain has a long history of producing some of the world’s best wheelchair tennis players. Gordon Reid became Paralympic men’s singles champion in Rio in 2016, while Rio silver medallist Alfie Hewett returned to World No.1 in the men’s singles world rankings in March this year.
Between them Gordon and Alfie contributed to British wheelchair players winning eight Grand Slam titles during 2021, when Jordanne Whiley won her fifth Wimbledon doubles title. Jordanne, who began playing wheelchair tennis when she was three-years-old, retired after winning a singles bronze medal and doubles silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.
The 2022 season started with 16-year-olds Ben Bartram and Dahnon Ward contesting the first all-British boys’ singles final at the Junior Wheelchair Tennis Masters in France. Ben won, while he and Dahnon won the boys’ double title together.
British players are also flying high in the junior girls’ wheelchair tennis rankings, too, with Ruby Bishop, world ranked No.3, joining Ben in recently making her senior World Team Cup debuts for Great Britain. Both Ben and Ruby were also winners at the recent LTA Tennis Awards.
LTA Wheelchair Tennis Initiative: Are You A Future Champion?
The LTA is looking to ensure the current success continues for many years to come and has just launched its 2022 Wheelchair Tennis Initiative, which includes 10 one-day Talent Identification events across the country.
Aimed at young people who have a physical disability and who are aged eight and upwards, each Talent Identification Day will include:
Four hours of on-court experience, which includes breaks for rest and refreshment.
Passionate performance coaches and staff will teach skills such as wheelchair and mobility skills, rackets skills and shot selection, all while ensuring you have great fun
Information on the LTA’s Wheelchair Performance Pathway, competitive opportunities and make the most of all that tennis has to offer as a sport for life.
