Wheelchair Tennis

Men’s, women’s and quad singles and doubles events are contested at the Paralympic Games.

Wheelchair tennis is open to athletes with a physical impairment. Athletes are required to submit medical reports and meet the minimum impairment criteria in order to compete. Eligibility is determine by trained Classifiers.

For more information on Eligible Impairments and Classification please see the Wheelchair tennis Information Sheet (PDF – 111KB) – updated May, 2024.

Ball
A ball is made of two elastic hemispheres joined together and covered by a layer of wool and synthetic threads. Its colour must be yellow or white.

Racket
The first tennis rackets were wooden, and strings were made of ewe bowels. Tennis rackets today are made of technologically advanced material like graphite, with strings made of synthetic threads. Players may use a strap to help them hold the racket.

Wheelchair
Wheelchair tennis chairs are lighter than most wheelchairs, to increase speed and manoeuvrability.

Court
In singles competition, the court is 23.77m by 8.23m, and in doubles competition, it is 23.77m by 10.97m. The same court can be marked for singles and doubles. It is divided into two halves by a net, which extends at a height of 0.914m at its centre and 1.07m at its sides. There are four types of courts – clay, grass, hard and carpet.