Tennis and Disability

Hi everyone, it’s Nicci here 😊

As I wrote in my bio (which you can check out here: https://www.thechoicefoundation.org.au/blog/blog-post-meet-our-bloggers) I’m a big tennis fan and with the recent Australian Open, we’re feeling inspired to share how everyone with differing abilities can get on the court and get involved in tennis.  

Tennis Australia aims to make tennis “welcoming, safe and inclusive for everyone”. On their website (https://www.tennis.com.au/play/inclusion-and-diversity) you can find ways to get involved in tennis for those in wheelchairs, who are deaf and hard of hearing, have an intellectual disability or autism, or are blind or have low vision. The site provides tournament details, coaches, venues, eligibility criteria and other information about how to get involved with tennis. 

 Let’s take a look at our options and opportunities: 

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Tennis – 

You can check out the official Deaf Tennis Australia website here: http://www.deaftennisaustralia.org/. If you’re interested in other sports, you should also look at Deaf Sports Australia (https://deafsports.org.au/), which is the national peak body assisting Australians who are deaf and hard of hearing to participate in sport. 

Intellectual disability or autism tennis opportunities – 

As well as mainstream tennis tournaments, there are a variety of initiatives that people with an intellectual disability or autism can choose to participate in, including the following elite competitive pathways:

• PWII National Tournaments and Camps

• Australian Tennis Championships

• Virtual World Tennis Championships

• Global Games

• Special Olympics

Blind and low vision tennis opportunities – 

If you would like more information, you can check out Blind Sports Australia (https://www.blindsportsaustralia.com.au/), the national governing body for blind and vision-impaired sport in Australia or contact blindtennis@tennis.com.au. 

Wheelchair Tennis – 

You don’t have to be in a wheelchair to play wheelchair tennis. You can find out more about the wheelchair classification policy here: https://www.tennis.com.au/play/inclusion-and-diversity/wheelchair-players/play-wheelchair-tennis Tennis Australia also provides a Wheelchair Loan Program, which offers the opportunity for both children and adults to make use of a tennis specific sports chair (https://www.tennis.com.au/play/inclusion-and-diversity/wheelchair-players/play-wheelchair-tennis/wheelchair-loan-program). 

We have to give a shoutout here to Australian wheelchair basketball-turned-wheelchair tennis star Dylan Alcott who just won his sixth consecutive Australian Open title, becoming a record 10-time Grand Slam singles champion. Off the court, Alcott established the Dylan Alcott Foundation in 2017 "with the core purpose of helping young Australians with disabilities gain self-esteem and respect through sport and study" and in 2018, he launched Ability Fest, a universally accessible music festival. Alcott's advice to young people with a disability is: "The biggest thing is that for every one thing you can’t do, there are 10,000 others you can."

Can’t wait to see you all on the court! 😊