Since its inception in 2016, the Wheelchair Tennis Program in Seattle has worked to grow both recreational and competitive wheelchair tennis in the Emerald City. This dedicated group of tennis enthusiasts is composed of volunteers who provide wheelchair tennis programming for all ages and skill levels. The leaders strive to instill a lifelong passion for the game and help players realize their full potential both on and off the court.

 

In June 2017, the Wheelchair Tennis Program, in conjunction with Seattle Adaptive Sports and the Tennis Center at Sandpoint, hosted its first Wheelchair Tennis Summer Camp. With an all-star coaching staff lined up (many of whom are local in the Northwest), the camp was nothing short of inspiring. The following coaches led the camp: 

 

• John Devorss, USTA National Wheelchair Tennis coach.
• David Eades, who was coached by John Devorss and was ranked as high as No. ADVERTISEMENT 1 in the U.S. in doubles and reached the top 80 in the world in doubles.  He has been a Wheelchair Tennis pro for more than 20 years.  
• Anthony Anderson, Wheelchair Tennis player for 33 years. He has worked with Seattle Adaptive Sports and other tennis clubs running tennis clinics for athletes of all ages and skill levels.
• Dan James, former USTA Wheelchair Tennis National Manager for 20 years.

The camp consisted of players of all levels and provided stations throughout the day that focused on different components. Movement exercises, hand-eye coordination drills, ground-stroke progressions, positioning and recovery tactics, serves and returns and point play were some of the training activities in which players participated. 

 

The summer camp provided an inspiring kick-off to wheelchair tennis before the weekly summer sessions that began in July. The goal of the camp was to promote wheelchair tennis in the Seattle area, bring awareness to the sport for adaptive athletes, grow the player base in other areas around Puget Sound, and lastly, help educate local coaches on how to integrate wheelchair tennis players into able-bodied classes. Outreach efforts, such as partnering with various rehab medical clinics and participating in the Paralympic Sports Day, have been critical to the program’s continued growth and success.

 

The USTA National Wheelchair Tennis Camp Subcommittee is in the process of putting together a guide on how to start and efficiently run a wheelchair tennis camp. Once completed, the guide will be shared with programs across the country in an effort to continue to grow the sport. 

 

The Wheelchair Tennis Program is looking forward to hosting its first Wheelchair Tennis Tournament later this summer over Labor Day weekend in Seattle. Interested participants can reach out to Ashley Moise.