Some of Great Britain’s finest wheelchair tennis players took part in the UK’s first mixed able-bodied and disabled padel tournament at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton last weekend.
Organised by OLA Padel Tennis, the event at Roehampton comprised of five wheelchair players, one double amputee and six able-bodied players who were paired up in a round-robin format. There were also exhibition matches.
Andy Lapthorne, who was won 18 wheelchair tennis Grand Slam titles including this year’s Australian Open men’s doubles, claimed the title alongside Marc McCarroll, beating Jack Binstead and Luke Dolphin in the final.
GB tennis sensation Jack Draper and his GB Davis Cup team-mate Billy Harris dropped by for photos with junior wheelchair tennis players who also took part.
The five wheelchair players were permitted two bounces, but the one amputee player, Malik Berbiche, was allowed only one as his leg is amputated below the knee (he also only has one arm).
“The level of generally was quite unbelievable,” said Jack Carpenter, co-founder of OLA Padel Tennis. “This will spur us on to create more events that make padel more inclusive. We hope disabled children notice what we’ve staged here and are encouraged to give padel a try.”
Competitor Ruben Harris, currently no.6 in the world junior wheelchair tennis rankings, added: “It was a great day and everyone was getting stuck into it and getting competitive. Thanks to the organisers and ambassadors for joining this event. Hopefully there’s more events like these to come!”
