Wheelchair Tennis

We want to expand the opportunities open to people with a physical disability who want to play tennis, from recreational players through to international performance players.

Who?


  • Any individual who is medically diagnosed as having a permanent mobility-related disability resulting in a substantial or total loss of function in one or more extremities is eligible to play wheelchair tennis.
  • Within the above eligibility rule, those who can play wheelchair tennis include paraplegics, amputees, quadriplegics (quads/tetraplegics), people with spina bifida and people with brittle bones, among others.

Full eligibility rules can be found on the ITF Wheelchair tennis website.

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How?


  1. Wheelchair Tennis Introductory Camps for new players, including Beginners, Ladies, Quads and Juniors, are organised by the TF each spring and are an excellent way of trying wheelchair tennis.
  2. Join the National Wheelchair Tennis Association (PDF) and keep up to date with events, news and special offers for playing members, such as entry into a ballot for Wimbledon tickets.

You will get regular mail-outs, including newsletters and useful information on what is happening in wheelchair tennis, locally, nationally and internationally.

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Where?


  • Contact the TF for opportunities to play in your area.
  • An increasing number of indoor tennis centres throughout the country run regular wheelchair tennis programmes or sessions with LTA licensed tennis coaches. Some also have purpose-built tennis wheelchairs, provided by the TF to get you started.
  • Join your local tennis club. Many tennis clubs have upgraded their facilities to cater for wheelchair users.
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Equipment

Although anyone can play wheelchair tennis from a day chair, those wishing to compete in tournaments will need their own purpose-built tennis wheelchair.

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Tennis wheelchairs have evolved a lot over the last 30 years, with various designs having had three, four, five or six wheels.

Today, the most common design has either five or six wheels, consisting of the two large wheels used for pushing, with two small caster-type wheels at the front and either one or two small; caster-type wheels at the back called anti-tip wheels.

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The large wheels that a player uses for pushing the chair are cambered (slanted outwards from top to bottom), which gives the player greater stability and enables him or her to manoeuvre efficiently around the court.

Modern tennis wheelchairs are made of lightweight materials, such as titanium, and a number of major manufacturers now offer several models of tennis wheelchairs. The most important thing is to find a chair that suits your needs and that fits you. If you are buying a new tennis chair, having the chair custom-built to your measurements will help you get the most out of your abilities on court.

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A good way of finding second hand tennis chairs for sale is to join the National Wheelchair Tennis Association, which will entitle you to start receiving newsletters and information.