Brad Parks: Founder & Champion of Wheelchair Tennis Explains how it came to be after suffering a life-changing accident

It isn't every day you have the opportunity to speak with a pioneer in the tennis industry. In today's episode, Brad Parks, the founder of Wheelchair Tennis, share his story with Talk Tennis. He discusses his life-changing accident which left him as a paraplegic and put him in a wheelchair at 18 years old. Turning lemons into lemonade, Brad quickly decided he would play tennis, and the rest is history. 

The sport began to grow in the 1980s and today, wheelchair tennis is played in nearly 100 countries. There are wheelchair tournaments at all 4 Grand Slams. It is a recognized sport at the Paralympics and the Wheelchair Tennis Tour comprises more than 150 tournaments in 41 countries.

His story is inspiring. In 2010, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, he is a 3-time Grand Slam winner, a former number 1 and a Gold Medal Winner. And because of him, the sport of wheelchair tennis is flourishing! 

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we had capturing it! 

Wheelchair Tennis Resources: 

• USTA: https://www.usta.com/en/home/play/adult-tennis/programs/national/wheelchair-tennis-tournaments.html
• ITF: https://www.itftennis.com/en/itf-tours/uniqlo-wheelchair-tennis-tour/ 
• Paralympic: https://www.paralympic.org/wheelchair-tennis?gclid=CjwKCAiAz--OBhBIEiwAG1rIOn9ELH7JM1bBk34RLqkg99Q2wSBCaxHrzXNMB_4BcNxCTEB9JLuawRoCsvoQAvD_BwE 

If you have any further questions or want to continue the conversation?! Email us at podcast@tennis-warehouse.com  

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Happy Hitting!