USTA Wheelchair Tennis is one of the fastest growing and most challenging of all wheelchair tennis sports. To meet this demand, USTA Tennis offers programs geared towards the wheelchair player.
Rules are the same as stand-up tennis, except the wheelchair player is allowed two bounces of the ball. USTA Wheelchair Tennis provides persons with disabilities the opportunity to share in activities with their peers, whether able-bodied or disabled. Playing USTA Wheelchair Tennis adds to socialization and the normalization of life after sustaining a disabling injury.
Proficient wheelchair users can play and actively compete against stand-up players. A wheelchair tennis player must have a medically diagnosed, mobility-related disability, with a substantial or total loss of function in one or more extremeties. In USTA Wheelchair Tennis, the player must master the game and the wheelchair. Learning mobility on the court is exciting and challenging, and helps build strength and cardiovascular ability.
The Brad Parks Award
The Brad Parks Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the game of wheelchair tennis. The award is named for one of the pioneers in competitive wheelchair tennis, and the champion of the first wheelchair tennis tournament in 1977. Brad Parks has been instrumental in the development of wheelchair tennis around the world and the USTA commemorates his achievements with this annual award.
Wheelchair Tennis Resources
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How to stage a wheelchair tennis exhibition,
click here.
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The USTA needs your help. USTA is conducting research to determine the number of wheelchair players, coaches, and programs in the United States,
click here
for more.
For more information on Wheelchair Tennis programs in the Middle States contact, Ben Zislis at zislis@ms.usta.com.