​It’s been a strong week for the Brits in Wimbledon’s wheelchair tennis, with Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid clinching their seventh doubles title at SW19, while Hewett also made it to the men’s singles final. Our readers have flooded us with questions about the sport, and our expert pundits, former pro players Jayant Mistry and Louise Hunt Skelley, have been on hand to answer. Here are some of the key questions and insights.
Question: What’s the difference between wheelchair tennis and quad wheelchair tennis?
Grace in Newcastle
Answer: The Open division is for players whose impairment primarily affects their lower limbs, whereas the Quad division is for athletes with impairments that affect three or more limbs, including reduced arm or hand function. The additional upper-body impairment in Quad makes shot-making and racquet control even more challenging.
Question: Why is the prize money for wheelchair players so much less than for non-wheelchair players when their expenses may be greater?
Hilary in Poole and Susan in Scotland
Answer: The draw size for wheelchair tennis is smaller than for non-wheelchair tennis, which means fewer rounds and a smaller prize pot. It’s an area that’s improving every year, and in comparison with most other disability sports, the prize money for wheelchair tennis is relatively high. Each Grand Slam event reasons differently about prize distribution.
Question: What speed do gentlemen wheelchair players serve at?
Roger in Bedford
Answer: In the men’s division, Tokito Oda records the fastest serve in the world, reaching about 112 mph. In the women’s division, Diede de Groot—one of the sport’s all-time greats—serves at around 90 mph, which is also very fast. Typical first-serve speeds in the Men’s Open range from 90 to 115 mph (145–185 km/h), with the strongest servers occasionally hitting about 120 mph (193 km/h). In the Women’s Open, typical serves run about 70–95 mph (113–153 km/h, with the fastest occasionally exceeding 100 mph or 161 km/h). In the Quad division, serves generally range from about 55–90 mph (89–145 km/h) for men and 50–80 mph (80–129 km/h) for women, reflecting varied upper-limb function.
Question: Is the net the same height for wheelchair tennis?
Rachel in Lincolnshire
Answer: Yes. The net height and all court dimensions are the same for wheelchair players as they are for standing players.
Question: How is Hawk-Eye adjusted to account for the wheelchair game?
Danesh in Horsham
Answer: Hawk-Eye tracks the ball, not the player, so it isn’t affected by whether a shot is played by a standing or wheelchair athlete. In some respects, Hawk-Eye can be more reliable than line judges in wheelchair tennis, since a wheelchair can partially obscure a judge’s view of the lines.
Question: Do wheelchair players use different wheels for better performance?
[This question appears incomplete in the original prompt and would be addressed similarly in practice with considerations about tire type, wheel size, and frame balance that optimize mobility, stability, and propulsion on court surfaces.]
If you’ve got more questions about wheelchair tennis, send them in and our experts will dive in with more insights and data from the pros.