USTA Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Spotlight: Xander Frost

Anyone who knows almost thirteen-year-old Xander Frost knows that the vivacious boy loves competition in any form. When the Kalamazoo native was just five years old, he was already holding a tennis racquet and soon found sled hockey shortly after.

But what many people might not realize is how tennis and sled hockey, Frost’s two great loves, go hand in hand with each other. From his earliest memories, Frost can always recall playing tennis and sled hockey simultaneously.

Sled hockey has gained much popularity in the United States over the years. The sport follows many of the same rules as standing ice hockey, with the exception of players sitting in specially designed sleds which sit on top of two skate blades. Frost is part of the team in Grand Rapids and views the sport as his way to stay connected and bond with others.

So, when Frost’s older brother picked up tennis seriously, Frost became more interested in how he could build on that foundation he had started at age five and how the two sports could compliment one another.

“Because the hockey/tennis relationship uses a lot of the same skills, when I’m not doing one, I’m doing the other, so I’m training the same skills basically all year round,” said Frost.

Frost’s tennis journey has taken him from clinics where he could barely hit the balls, hold his racquet and move his wheels at the same time to attending summer camps each year. As Frost progressed in tennis, he found that it was quickly becoming a favorite pastime.