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Wheelchair Tennis

Wheelchair Tennis

Sports Summary

Wheelchair Tennis first appeared at the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona.

In Wheelchair Tennis the ball is allowed to bounce twice – the first bounce must be within the bounds of the court.

For athletes to compete, they must have a permanent substantial or total loss of function in one or both legs. For the quad division the eligibility criteria requires a player to have a impairment in three or more limbs.

The events are singles (between two players) and doubles (between two pairs). The winner of a match is determined by the first to win two sets.

Links

Tennis Australia

International Paralympic Committee

International Paralympic Committee

 

Events & Disciplines

  • Men’s singles
  • Men’s doubles
  • Women’s singles
  • Women’s doubles
  • Quad singles
  • Quad doubles

Classification

Who is eligible for Wheelchair Tennis? Athletes with a physical impairment, who have significant or total loss of function in one or both legs due to conditions such as spinal or nerve injury, limb loss or limb deficiency, cerebral palsy or other lower limb impairment.

What are the classes? Athletes are classified into the Open or Quad divisions depending on their functional ability.

How do I get a classification? Request a classification using the Get classified form.

Rules & Equipment

Ball

A ball is made of two elastic hemispheres joined together and covered by a layer of wool and synthetic threads. Its colour must be yellow or white.

Racket

The first tennis rackets were wooden and strings were made of ship or ewe bowels. Tennis rackets today are made of technologically advanced material such as graphite with strings made of synthetic threads. Wheelchair tennis athletes may have a special strap wound around their hand to help them hold the racket.

Wheelchair

A tennis wheelchair is lighter than usual. Speed and chair manoeuvrability are very important for wheelchair tennis and the chairs are constantly improved to meet these criteria.

Court

The court is a 23.77m x 8.23m rectangle for singles and a 23.77m x 10.97m rectangle for doubles. The same court can be marked for both singles and doubles. The court is divided into two halves by a net, which extends at a height of 0.914m at its centre and 1.07m at its sides. There are four types of courts – clay, grass, hard and carpet.

Medal History

Year Gold Silver Bronze total
2004 0 1 2 3
2000 1 2 0 3
1996 0 1 1 2

Events/Disciplines

  • Men’s singles
  • Men’s doubles
  • Women’s singles
  • Women’s doubles
  • Quad singles
  • Quad doubles

Classification

Who is eligible for Wheelchair Tennis? Athletes with a physical impairment, who have significant or total loss of function in one or both legs due to conditions such as spinal or nerve injury, limb loss or limb deficiency, cerebral palsy or other lower limb impairment.

What are the classes? Athletes are classified into the Open or Quad divisions depending on their functional ability.

How do I get a classification? Request a classification using the Get classified form.

Rules & Equipment

Ball

A ball is made of two elastic hemispheres joined together and covered by a layer of wool and synthetic threads. Its colour must be yellow or white.

Racket

The first tennis rackets were wooden and strings were made of ship or ewe bowels. Tennis rackets today are made of technologically advanced material such as graphite with strings made of synthetic threads. Wheelchair tennis athletes may have a special strap wound around their hand to help them hold the racket.

Wheelchair

A tennis wheelchair is lighter than usual. Speed and chair manoeuvrability are very important for wheelchair tennis and the chairs are constantly improved to meet these criteria.

Court

The court is a 23.77m x 8.23m rectangle for singles and a 23.77m x 10.97m rectangle for doubles. The same court can be marked for both singles and doubles. The court is divided into two halves by a net, which extends at a height of 0.914m at its centre and 1.07m at its sides. There are four types of courts – clay, grass, hard and carpet.

Medal History

Year Gold Silver Bronze total
2004 0 1 2 3
2000 1 2 0 3
1996 0 1 1 2