In 2018, the USTA National Adaptive Committee was charged with increasing tennis participation within the adaptive community.  As a result, the committee promoted a Unified Doubles tournament format that was embraced by eight Sections who all agreed to hold National Adaptive Qualifier Tournaments.  The winners of these tournaments went on to represent their sections at the inaugural USTA Adaptive Tennis Championship which was held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.

 

The tournament was very well received and will become an annual event which will take place once again in October of 2019.  Yasmine Osborn, USTA Manager for Diversity & Inclusion said, “We are excited to host the USTA Adaptive Tennis Championships again this year.  This tournament is a great opportunity for our athletes to compete at the highest levels and for our spectators to enjoy some fantastic tennis while learning more about Adaptive tennis.”

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The 2019 event will take place October 11-13.  Athletes will arrive on Friday evening when practice courts and dinner will be provided.  On Saturday morning, the round robin tournament will begin, followed by lunch and the completion of the first round.  All participants will then head back to the hotel to prepare for an off-site dinner adventure.  Last year, it was the T-Rex Café at Disney!  The final round will be completed on Sunday followed by the awards presentation.

 

Currently, eight sections have agreed to host a qualifier:  Texas, Florida, Midwest, Missouri Valley, Southern, New England, Middle States and Northern California.  Several additional sections have expressed interest.  Anyone looking for more information about qualifiers should contact their local section to get involved or to encourage participation among sections that have not yet committed. 

 

For a list of section contacts, click here.