The USTA announced today the players and coaches that will represent the United States at the 25th Anniversary of the Invacare World Team Cup. The nation’s top wheelchair tennis players will compete against participants from more than 30 countries around the globe, July 27th – August 2nd, at the Nottingham Tennis Centre in Nottingham, Great Britain.
This year marks the Silver Anniversary of the Invacare World Team Cup, making the 2009 event a unique occasion for all those involved. Often referred to as the wheelchair tennis equivalent of pro tennis’ Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions, the Invacare World Team Cup tournament brings the elite wheelchair tennis players together to compete for national pride in one of the world’s premier team events for disabled athletes.
In this anniversary year, Nottingham also becomes the first venue outside of the United States to host the Invacare World Team Cup on three occasions.
Representing the United States at the 2009 Invacare World Team Cup will be:
Men’s Team | | Quad Team | |
Dan James (Coach) | Oakdale, Minn. | Jason Harnett (Coach) | Irvine, Calif. |
Zach Beaulieu | Augusta, Maine | Bryan Barten | Tucson, Ariz. |
John Becker | Boca Raton, Fla. | Nick Taylor | Wichita, Kan. |
Paul Moran | Chicago, Ill. | David Wagner | Hillsboro, Ore. |
| | | |
Women’s Team | | Junior’s Team | |
Paul Walker (Coach) | Lakeland, Fla. | Keri Preng (Coach) | Cold Spring, Ky. |
Emmy Kaiser | Ft. Mitchell, Ky. | Dylan Levine | Paramus, N.J. |
Hope Lewellen | Chicago, Ill. | Ryan Nelson | Salt Lake City, Utah |
Dana Mathewson | San Diego, Calif. | Mackenzie Soldan | Louisville, Ky. |
| | | |
Team Trainer | | Team Manager | |
John Finley | Middletown, Del. | Jeremiah Yolkut | White Plains, N.Y. |
The United States Quad Team will look to bring home the title for the fourth time in the last five years at the World Team Cup. Two-time Paralympic Doubles Gold Medalists’ David Wagner and Nick Taylor were integral in winning the Quad title in three of the previous four years.
The USTA was officially designated by the USOC as the national governing body for the Paralympic sport of wheelchair tennis in June 2002, becoming the first Olympic national governing body to earn this recognition. As the national governing body for wheelchair tennis, the USTA manages wheelchair tennis in the United States, including the sanctioning of tournaments, overseeing wheelchair rankings, creating and managing a High Performance program for developing elite disabled athletes, and selecting teams to compete internationally for the United States.