Tennis can be adapted for any level of ability, as well as for players with different disabilities. It can be adapted to make it easier, slower, and simpler to participate in. It is also a great sport to play too, with proven physical and mental health benefits for disabled people.
All the equipment and aids you need can be supplied to give the sport a go. There are sports wheelchairs if you have a physical disability and require the use of a wheelchair, and tennis balls that make a noise when they bounce if you’re visually impaired enabling you to track the ball with your hearing. There’s nothing stopping you from giving it a go and having just as much fun playing the game as everyone else.
We work with nearly 400 venues across the country to provide subsidised disability-specific tennis sessions, as well as supporting clubs and venues to become more inclusive. They also coordinate a whole range of disability-specific tennis competitions both regionally and nationally. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned player there will be a category for you!
For talented players wanting to progress beyond playing socially and for fun, there is also a player pathway that can help you maximise your potential and lead to players going on to represent Great Britain at international level – in recent years British players have won international medals and titles in wheelchair tennis, deaf tennis, learning disability tennis and visually impaired tennis.
For coaches looking to further develop their inclusive approach to tennis, we run CPD (Continuing Professional Development) courses for each impairment (physically impaired, deaf and hearing impaired, blind and visually impaired and learning disability). Each CPD course will improve coaches’ knowledge, confidence and delivery of tennis for that specific impairment, while there are also specific programmes to support disabled people who want to move in to coaching.