U.S. Open Daily

Written by: Staff on 7th September 2013

Wheelchair Tennis Package Australian Open 2013

U.S. Open Daily

epa03557694 WHEELCHAIR TENNIS PACKAGE AUSTRALIAN OPEN Close up of the wheelchair of Swedish player Anders Hard during a training session at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 24 January 2013. Hard started playing at the age of 23 after being injured in a gymnastics accident aged 22. Wheelchair Tennis took place in the First Grand Slam of the Year In Melbourne Park from 23-28 January 2013, Australia. The top seven ranked players from the various countries plus a wirldcard entry participated from the men and women events. In the 1970s Brad Parks, an acrobatic skier who suffered an injury which leaves him paraplegic, and wheelchair athlete Jeff Minnenbraker started promoting wheelchair tennis. In 1977 the Los Angeles City Parks and Recreation Department hosted the first ever wheelchair tennis tournament with around 20 players. EPA/Narendra Shrestha |

Flushing, NYC – As 10sballs.com’s friend and long time support Sven relates, the days seem to meld into one out here at these tennis tournaments. But even though the tournament is winding down, the matches get more and more intense. I’ve really enjoyed watching the juniors and wheelchair competitions on the outer, more intimate stages.

Witnessing wheelchair tennis for the first time a couple days ago really puts things in a broader perspective. You have athletes, despite life altering physical differences, competing and cherishing every minute on court. I think it’s awesome. I got to witness some really big upset victories by Lucas Sithole (RSA), to see his jubilation was priceless. I loved seeing different routines and rituals, instead of Rafa picking his butt or something.

A couple future pros also get to share the stage as the juniors battle it out against each other. Some look professional already, some don’t, and it’s easy to tell which ones have maturity and which don’t. You can see tons of talent agents and college coaches perusing these courts. The speed of the game is almost the same however the control factor is not there yet.

Before the event I picked unseeded Thanisi Kokkinakis (AUS) to win the Boys’ title – He’s already pulling down Challengers so I figured a junior tournament wouldn’t be too difficult for him. Surprise finalist Tornado Alicia Black (USA) is into the finals against #2 Ana Konjuh (CRO). I practiced next to Tornado last week, noted the name and the forehand, and saw how athletic the young girl was. She was very focused during practice and didn’t mind going for her shots and missing. That’s a trait a lot of good pros have and it’s often forgotten due to the unwritten laws of consistency that are applied when practicing with your peers.

Schedule:

Court 7, start time: 12:00pm

Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) vs #4 Borna Coric (CRO) – Some big hitting in this junior match up and undoubtedly the bigger stage will allow them to relax and really let their shots fly.

#1 Shingo Kunieda (JPN) vs #2 Stephane Houdet (FRA) – I not only have to give the edge to Kunieda because he’s the younger man, I also believe after watching his practices that he trains a lot harder than Houdet. Either way I’m excited to see this anticipated match up. Both men never give up.

Court 11, start time: 12:00pm

Tornado Alicia Black (USA) vs #2 Ana Konjuh (CRO) – With home support, maybe Black can pull off the upset.

Lucas Sithole (RSA) vs #1 David Wagner (USA) – This is a rematch and I’m hoping Sithole can come up with the goods again to defeat Wagner. Didn’t like Wagner’s behavior when he was losing the other day, maybe he’ll have a different attitude Sunday.

#1 Sabine Ellerbrock (GER) vs #2 Aniek Van Koot (NED) – Another #1 vs #2 finals pairing at the U.S. Open. With Esther Vergeer honored with a retirement ceremony on Saturday, this title is up for grabs!

We admire all the athletes that competed in the 2013 US Open . But and it’s a big but…. The most inspiring athletes were the tennis players in the wheelchairs. How amazing for their sport the airtime on major courts they received and the icing on the cake was having the most amazing wheelchair athlete on the planet doing the tv commentating. Thank you Esther Vergeer. We are huge fans of Esthers and have been since the sites inception. Our buddy Sven Groeneveld put it on our site to show the world what an amazing program the Dutch have for their wheelchair athletes.

We all applaud you.

Topics: 10sballs, Shubert, Sports, sven groeneveld, Tennis, US Open