Wheelchair tennis was created in 1976, by American Brad Parks, as he rehabilitated following a lifechanging skiing accident. Alongside fellow rehabilitation patient Jeff Minnenbraker, he adapted the sport, showing that with the allowance of two bounces, tennis could be both accessible and fiercely competitive.
What began on public courts in California quickly gathered momentum. The first wheelchair tennis tournament was held in May 1977 in Los Angeles and by the mid‑1980s, international tournaments were being staged, the World Team Cup had been launched, and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) had formally recognised wheelchair tennis. Today, wheelchair tennis is fully embedded across the four Grand Slams and the Paralympics Games, with men’s, women’s, quad and junior events now contested on the world’s biggest stages.
To celebrate, The LTA and Getty Images are proud to celebrate 50 years of wheelchair tennis, with a digital exhibition of 50 images – some published for the first time, selected with the help of key figures from the wheelchair tennis community.
You can read more about it on the LTA News Page or see the full exhibition on their Exhibition Page.