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Greg Crump was presented with the ITF Wheelchair Coach of the Year award on Saturday for his contribution to the development of wheelchair players nationally and internationally.
Although an annual award, it highlights Crump’s 39 years of service to wheelchair tennis in Australia that began with what he describes as a “light bulb moment”.
“A lot of people who get involved [in wheelchair tennis] have either a family member or a friend that’s had trauma or something like that, and there wasn’t any of that in my family or friends,” he said ahead of Australia’s World Team Cup campaign. “I had a light bulb moment that I’m going to try this and volunteer at a spinal hospital.”
From there, the legend of ‘Crumpy’ was born. Crump started volunteering at local rehabilitation units around Melbourne’s northeastern suburbs.
He runs weekly tennis sessions for spinal cord injury patients and has carved the pathway for some of Australia’s greatest wheelchair players.
“Pretty much everybody that’s playing wheelchair tennis in Australia, I’ve had some contact with, which is kind of cool,” said Crump, who has mentored the likes of David Hall, Daniela Di Toro and Dylan Alcott, who each scaled world No.1 heights.
“Some of them are getting a bit older now, and you ring them up from time to time and say hi, and they say, ‘Look, they were some of the fondest memories I’ve had’. So that’s great [that] they still think of you.”
One of those players is 2004 Paralympic bronze medallist Anthony Bonaccurso. The 49-year-old first met Crump as a teenager at the Austin Hospital in Heidelberg following his accident, who began hitting with Bonaccurso every Wednesday for two and a half months.
After his hospital stay, Bonaccurso commuted an hour from Sunshine in Melbourne’s west to eastern Nunawading weekly to attend free training sessions run by the wheelchair tennis coach. Support from Crump not only ignited Bonaccurso’s tennis career but sparked a lifelong friendship.
“He’s a really good friend. We send texts weekly to each other about silly stuff, stupid stuff, and meaningful stuff. You know you can just go up to Crumpy, and you know he’s got your back. That’s what I think he has with everybody,” Bonaccurso said.
“He’s been in the wheelchair stuff for a zillion years, but you just know that he has your back. He’s one of the greatest guy and without Crumpy, I think wheelchair tennis in Australia wouldn’t actually be as good as it is.”
Crump is now working with young players, five of whom sit inside the ITF wheelchair boys’ top 20, including Jin Woodman and Benjamin Wenzel.
He is also adding depth to Australia’s wheelchair ranks, granting four players – Sonny Rennison, Arlo Shawcross, Harrison Dudley and Gillie Lumby – the opportunity to represent Australia.
“He’s been a real key to where I’m at now,” Shawcross said. “He’s got a lot of experience, has been to many, many countries, so I value his advice a lot and every time I get on court with him, I’m listening. He’s a very good coach, he can explain stuff well, and I always learn a lot from him.”
By Tennis Australia and David Sygall.
Published 16 May, 2025.
