Uploaded by delliotreports on Mar 12, 2011
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# History:
Wheelchair tennis got started in 1976 thanks to the efforts of Brad Parks who is effectively the creator of competitive wheelchair tennis.[2] Since then, a lot of effort has been put into the promotion of the sport in order to get rid of the therapy image that still clings to many sports for people with disabilities today.
The sport became popular and grew worldwide so fast that it was introduced to Paralympic games for the first time at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul as a demonstration event.[3] It was the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona that wheelchair tennis acquired the status of a full-fledged competition. The 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney have boosted public awareness immensely and it led to the introduction of this sport to Grand Slams of pedestrian tennis.
# Major Tournaments:
International tournaments are organized by International Tennis Federation as a NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour. In wheelchair tennis there are four top-ranked major tournaments called Super Series (SS); Australian Open (Melbourne), British Open (Nottingham), Japan Open (Iizuka), and US Open (St. Louis). World Team Cup is an international team event held annually. To wrap up the season, they have NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters (singles event) and Camozzi Doubles Masters tournaments which only world top-ranked players can compete. In addition, Grand Slams, Australian Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and US Open have each created wheelchair tennis category. It is also played at Paralympic Games and FESPIC games as well.
Each year Wheelchair Tennis Masters are held for single and double. The top eight men and women based on the ranking after the US Open at the end of the year compete to be the champion of the year.
The Netherlands has dominated numerous victories at major tournaments including Paralympic Games and Grand Slams. It has many top players of this sport such as Robin Ammerlaan, Esther Vergeer, and Korie Homan.
* Reference's From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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