Wheelchair tennis was originated in 1976 by American Brad Parks, and the sport quickly evolved into a major competitive international sport. The sport first appeared at the Paralympic Games in the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics.

Wheelchair tennis is played on a standard tennis court and follows many of the same rules as tennis. However, in wheelchair tennis, a player is allowed to let the ball bounce twice, not once, before hitting a return shot. Also, the athlete’s wheelchair is considered to be a part of the body, so rules applying to the player’s body apply to the chair as well.

Paralympic wheelchair tennis competition is open to male and female athletes in the categories for amputees and spinal cord injured/wheelchair. For additional information on eligibility, click on the Classification link on the left side of this page.