U.S. Wheelchair Tennis Team to Raise Rackets at Paralympics

An American injured while skiing experimented with tennis as a wheelchair sport. Wheelchair tennis first appeared as an Olympic event in 1992.

When American Brad Parks was 18, he suffered a disabling injury while skiing. After the accident, he began to experiment with tennis as a method of physical therapy. During the following year, 1976, Parks founded wheelchair tennis. The sport quickly evolved into an international competitive activity and first appeared at the Paralympic Games in Barcelona in 1992.

Wheelchair tennis is played on a standard tennis court and follows tennis rules. One exception is that in wheelchair tennis, a player is allowed to let the ball bounce twice, not once, before hitting a return shot. Because an athlete's wheelchair is considered to be a part of the body, rules that apply to the player's body also apply to the chair.

Today, nearly 100 countries have wheelchair tennis programs, and the sport is integrated into all four Grand Slam tennis events.

The men and women of the 2012 U.S. wheelchair tennis team, pictured above, prepare to leave for the Paralympic Games in London. The wheelchair tennis competitions will be held September 1–6.