WHEELCHAIR tennis was founded in 1976 following work by former US freestyle skier Brad Parks. Parks, who was injured in an accident, started hitting tennis balls from his wheelchair while in rehabilitation.
The sport grew in the 1980s and became an official medal event at Barcelona 1992. A total of 48 athletes competed in four medal events – the men’s singles, the men’s doubles, women’s singles and women’s doubles.
Parks won the men’s doubles with Randy Snow, who also captured the inaugural men’s singles title. The women’s events were won by Dutch athletes. Monique van den Bosch won the singles, and the doubles tournament with Chantal Vandierendonck.
Quad singles and doubles events were introduced at Athens 2004.
Peter Norfolk of Great Britain earned the first singles title, while US pair of David Wagner and Nick Taylor took the doubles gold medal.
The Netherlands top the wheelchair tennis medals table with 20 gold, 13 silver and 10 bronze medals.
Dutch legend Esther Vergeer is the most decorated athlete in the sport, winning seven golds and one silver, while Japan’s Shingo Kunieda is the most successful male athlete with four golds and two bronze medals.
WHAT TO WATCH IN WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
The aim of wheelchair tennis is to keep hitting the ball over the net into the opponent’s court until they are unable to return it.
Wheelchair tennis athletes play on the same tennis courts, use the same racquets and balls and follow the same rules as their Olympic counterparts.
There is one key exception: the ball is allowed to bounce twice, and only the first bounce must be within the court’s limits.
MEMORABLE PARALYMPIC MOMENTS
Vergeer, who is considered one of the greatest Paralympians of all-time, won the women’s singles at London 2012 for her fourth Paralympic gold medal.
She closed the curtain on her storied career after marking a remarkable winning streak of 470 matches.
Four years later at Rio 2016, Jiske Griffioen continued the golden runmomentum for the Netherlands, rallying her way to gold in the women’s singles.
At Tokyo 2020, Diede de Groot made it eight straight women’s singles gold medals for the Netherlands.
Dutch athletes have won every women’s singles tournament at the Paralympics.
At Rio 2016, Dylan Alcott of Australia became a two-sport Paralympic gold medallist.
The Beijing 2008 wheelchair basketball champion topped the podium in both the quad doubles and singles events.
Alcott competed at four Paralympic Games and won six medals.
Japan’s Shingo Kunieda captured his fourth gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Kunieda had thought of retiring from the sport after missing out on a medal at Rio 2016, but five years later, he returned to the top of the podium after winning the final.
