If you’re one of the people who can’t get enough tennis these days, you’ve likely been interested in the wheelchair tennis events at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Wheelchair tennis was first invented in 1976, according to the United States Tennis Association. It was created in part by former Team USA freestyle skiing athlete Brad Parks. After a freestyle skiing accident, Parks was staying at a hospital across the street from some local tennis courts; he and fellow rehab patient Jeff Minnebraker decided to try to play the game in their wheelchairs. The USTA reports that two plays on a neighboring court asked the pair, “Why do you guys even bother?” which encouraged Parks and Minnebraker to stay on the court and work even harder, ultimately developing wheelchair tennis. By 1988, wheelchair tennis was an exhibition sport, and it was introduced as a full medal sport during the 1992 Paralympic Games, held in Barcelona.
Now, it’s one of the most popular Paralympics events, even earning its own adorable Google Doodle, featuring a cute animation of two birds playing wheelchair tennis. For this year’s 2024 Paralympic Games, the event is held at the Roland-Garros Stadium in France. Here’s everything to know about the fast-paced game.
What Are the Rules of Wheelchair Tennis?
For the most part, wheelchair tennis has the same rules as the standing version of the game. The court size, rackets, and tennis balls are all the same as well, per the International Paralympic Committee. The two notable differences between the two versions of tennis are that in wheelchair tennis the athletes use specially designed wheelchairs and the tennis ball is allowed to bounce twice, not just once, before the athlete hits it back over the net, according to the Wheelchair Tennis Spectator Guide from the Paralympic committee website. Additionally, the second bounce of a ball can be either within the boundaries of the court, or out.
There are two categories for wheelchair tennis athletes, including open and quad. The open category comprises of athletes who have one or more lower-limb impairment and normal function of the arms. The quad category consists of having both upper and lower limb impairments. At the Paralympic Games, there are men’s and women’s singles and doubles wheelchair tennis matches, and quad singles and doubles, both of which are mixed gender events, per the International Tennis Federation.
How Is Wheelchair Tennis Scored?
As with the rules, wheelchair tennis and standing tennis are scored the same way.
Some instances in which a player can lose a point that are specific to wheelchair tennis include:
- A player can lose a point if they fail to return the ball before it bounces a third time, according to the International Tennis Federation’s wheelchair tennis regulations.
- The player may also lose a point if any part of their lower extremities is used against the ground or wheel “while delivering service, striking a ball, [or] turning or stopping while the ball is in play,” the ITF wheelchair tennis regulations state. If a player is unable to propel their wheelchair via the wheel, they can use a foot; but even so, ITF regulates state that their foot can’t come into contact with the ground “during the forward motion of the swing” or during a serve.
- A point can also be lost if the player does not “keep one buttock in contact with their wheelchair seat” when in contact with the ball.
The scoring rules regarding winning a tiebreak or a break point, as well as terminology like “let” and “ad,” are the same across tennis and wheelchair tennis. So if you’ve been enjoying the tenniscore trend or keeping eyes on the US Open, make sure to head over the Peacock and check out wheelchair tennis at the Paralympics too.
Jade Esmeralda, MS, CSCS, is a health and fitness staff writer and a strength and conditioning specialist. A lifelong martial artist and dancer, Jade has a strong passion for strength and conditioning, sports science, and human performance. She graduated with a Master of Science degree in exercise science and strength and conditioning from George Washington University.
