Wheelchair tennis

Australian Paralympian Dylan Alcott hitting a tennis ball at Tokyo 2020. He is wearing a gold cap and singlet.

Wheelchair tennis first appeared at the Paralympics at the Barcelona 1992 Games.

Wheelchair tennis is open to athletes with a physical impairment. Players compete in singles and doubles events. In wheelchair tennis, players compete on the doubles court dimensions and can allow the ball to bounce twice before returning it.

For more information on Wheelchair tennis Eligibility and How to Get Involved please see the Wheelchair tennis Information Sheet (PDF – 111KB) – updated May 2024.

Medal History

2024Paris
000
0
2020Tokyo
110
2
2016Rio de Janeiro
200
2
2012London
000
0
2008Beijing
000
0
2004Athens
012
3
2000Sydney
120
3
1996Atlanta
011
2
1992Barcelona - Madrid
000
0
1988Seoul
010
1

Events and Disciplines

Men’s, women’s and quad singles and doubles events are contested at the Paralympic Games.

Classification

Wheelchair tennis is open to athletes with a physical impairment. Athletes are required to submit medical reports and meet the minimum impairment criteria in order to compete. Eligibility is determine by trained Classifiers.

For more information on Eligible Impairments and Classification please see the Wheelchair tennis Information Sheet (PDF – 111KB) – updated May, 2024.

Rules and 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 ewe bowels. Tennis rackets today are made of technologically advanced material like graphite, with strings made of synthetic threads. Players may use a strap to help them hold the racket.

Wheelchair
Wheelchair tennis chairs are lighter than most wheelchairs, to increase speed and manoeuvrability.

Court
In singles competition, the court is 23.77m by 8.23m, and in doubles competition, it is 23.77m by 10.97m. The same court can be marked for singles and doubles. It 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.

CONTACTS

The national federation link below provides information on the national high performance program leading to competing internationally and at the Paralympic Games.