Wheelchair tennis will be present at the Paralympic Games at the Roland-Garros stadium.
Wheelchair tennis is surely one of the most developed sports on the Olympic programme. Created in the 1980s and on the programme of the Games since 1992 and Barcelona, the professional circuit is now integrated into the ITF and has more than 150 tournaments per year, including the four Grand Slams: Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open.
Wheelchair tennis is played on a court that is exactly the same as a tennis court and the rules are practically the same. The only difference is that the ball can bounce twice before hitting it, compared to only once in tennis. Matches are played in two winning sets of six games, with a tiebreaker at six all and in all sets. It is played in singles and doubles, and unlike para table tennis, the player’s racket cannot be attached to his hand. He must therefore hold it at all times while moving around using the wheelchair.
Wheelchair tennis is a sport developed in France, with many professional and international athletes. Among the women, we will notably find Pauline Déroulède and among the men, Stéphane Houdet, double Paralympic champion in doubles in Tokyo and Rio.
Wheelchair tennis classifications
There are two different classifications in wheelchair tennis:
- Open: for players with lower limb injuries
- Quad: for players with lower and upper limb impairment.
The wheelchair tennis program
Wheelchair tennis will take place from August 30 to September 7 at Roland Garros. The finals will take place between September 4 and 7.