How Wheelchair Tennis Players Speed Up Their Game" : "Spiders, Sprints, and Slam Dunks

 

Picture by David Ramos/Getty Images

Spider, butterfly, and suicide aren’t the names of Marvel superheroes but the power drills wheelchair tennis players use to boost their speed on the court.

Speed is crucial, especially on the lively clay courts of Roland Garros at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

"I love it. The faster, the better for me," said Dutch quad player Niels Vink, discussing his experience playing in the heart of French tennis with Olympics.com. "My game style is perfect for that, so I love clay. In the stadiums, the bounce is a little bit higher, the game is faster, so it's all good for me."

Vink, a double medallist from Tokyo 2020, savored the quick pace during his quarter-final win over Canada's Robert Shaw on Monday (2 September), which he described as one of the “top five” matches of his career. Vink was well-prepared for the speed of that match.

The Dutch team—comprised of Paralympic and Grand Slam champions like Vink, Diede de Groot, Aniek van Koot, and Sam Schroder—integrates various speed drills into their training to gear up for fast-paced games like this.

Although drills can be monotonous, the Dutch players make them fun with names like “spider” and “butterfly.” Other national teams at Paris 2024 also add an element of fun to their wheelchair tennis training, boosting their speed through friendly 100m sprints or wheelchair basketball games.

Discover more about the innovative ways wheelchair tennis players enhance their speed on the court and why it’s so vital in their sport.