Wheelchair Tennis - History

History

Wheelchair tennis increased in popularity in 1967 due to the efforts of Brad Parks, who is seen as the creator of competitive wheelchair tennis. Since then, much effort has made to promote the sport to rid it of its 'therapy' image that still affects many sports for people with disabilities.

The sport quickly became popular worldwide and was introduced to the Paralympic Games as a demonstration event at the Seoul 1988 Summer Paralympics. It was at the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona that wheelchair tennis acquired the status of a full-fledged competition. The 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney boosted public awareness immensely and led to the introduction of the sport to Grand Slams of pedestrian tennis.

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