Wheelchair tennis made its Paralympic debut at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games.

Wheelchair tennis follows the same rules as tennis however 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 disability 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 Tennis Federation
International Paralympic Committee

At the London Paralympics

In London, 112 athletes will compete across six medal events. Australia has a team of four athletes, two men and two women.

Competition Dates

Saturday 1 - Saturday 8 September, 2012

Competition Venue

Olympic Park - Eton Manor

Events/Disciplines

Singles
Doubles

Classification

Wheelchair tennis is open to athletes with a:

• Physical impairment that affects a minimum of one of their legs and prevents them from covering the court with sufficient speed to play able-bodied tennis. Players have conditions such as limb loss, cerebral palsy, brain injury, joint restrictions, spinal injury or nerve damage.

Quad division - Players have impairment in their arms, legs and trunk. Players use strapping to secure the racquet in their hand.

Open division - Players who have good use of their arms during service, return and movement around the court. Players may have varied trunk balance and movement.

How do I get a classification?

You can request a classification using the APC 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.