Wheelchair Tennis... Learn the Rules of the Game

Fun, Exciting, and Cool to Watch...

January 26, 2007

One of the hottest games in the wheelchair sports arena, Wheelchair Tennis is always growing in popularity from year to year. The reason for this growth can be attributed to many factors including:

-wheelchair tennis is played on a standard tennis court (no special courts or equipment needed)
-a wheelchair tennis player can compete against an able bodied opponent with each following their own designated rules
-there are only small deviations in standard tennis rules for the wheelchair tennis player

So, what are these deviations from standard tennis rules? Well, the number one difference is that a person in a wheelchair can allow for the ball to bounce twice. The first bounce must land inside the court as with standard tennis and the second bounce may fall in or out of the court.

On top of the two bounce rule, all the other rules are basically the same. There are some others that should be noted of course:

1. The wheelchair is considered part of the body. For instance if the ball was to hit the wheelchair on the first bounce and then hit the ground, that would be counted as a hit.

2. One buttock must remain in contact with the wheelchair seat when contacting the ball. You will sometimes see a waist strap on a wheelchair tennis specific chair to hold the player down.

3. You may not use any lower extremities as brakes or to help assist in stabilization when serving, hitting the ball, braking, stopping, or used as a brake (ie. foot on a wheel to slow or stop)

An interesting rule to note: If players can not use the wheel to propel themselves, they may use one foot, although that foot may not be in contact with the ground during the motion of the forward swing or the forward motion of the serve.

In regards to serving there are a few rules to note. The server can not be moving immediately before starting their serve. The server will then be allowed a single push before hitting the ball. The server is also not allowed to touch a wheel throughout the motion of the server and can not move beyond the baseline.

The ITF (International Tennis Federation) has a listing of all the rules on their website and registration/eligibility guidelines. For instance, a player must have a medically diagnosed permanent mobility related physical disability to be an ITF sanctioned player. Someone that does not have a permanent mobility issue can not just hop in a chair and decide to compete on the ITF circuit. I'm not sure why this rule is in effect as anyone, in my opinion, that wants to play wheelchair tennis and follow the rules in regards to wheelchair tennis should have that ability. What's your take on this issue? Leave a comment at the bottom of the page.

Related Topics: wheelchair tennis, itf, wheelchair sports,

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About the Author: Casey L
Before starting Wheelchair Lifestyle, Casey was an engineer for one of the top wheelchair wheel manufacturers in the industry. Seeing a lack in wheelchair information on the internet, Casey set out to develop a single site that offers a wealth of wheelchair information and resources for the reader.

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