All About Wheelchair Tennis Chairs - 3 or 4 Wheels

Would Maria Sharapova have won this year's Wimbledon Women's Final with a wooden racquet? Only if everyone else had one. The same can be said for the tennis chairs used by wheelchair tennis players. Wheelchair manufacturers produce two types of lightweight wheelchair designed specifically for the tennis court: 3 or 4 wheels. All the tennis chairs you see in action in Athens will be either 3-wheel or 4-wheel. Similar to the chairs on the right.

The top photo shows the 3 wheeler from 'RGK Wheelchairs', below is the 4 wheel 'Quickie Match Point'.


Opinion is divided over which chair design gives the best performance on the tennis court as both chairs are astonishingly quick and manoeuverable.

Every full-time wheelchair user playing tennis will have a separate lightweight wheelchair specially designed for the tennis court - as well as their lightweight everyday wheelchair.

Tennis is not a contact sport, but the requirement is for a rigid frame wheelchair which gets the player to the ball - quickly. Is stable and weighs less than 12 kilos.

Wheelchair tennis players are not classified by disability, so at the top level the importance of using the best wheelchair available to you is performance critical.

Few tennis chairs are sold for less than $1500, so buying the right wheelchair at the beginning is important.

Wheelchair tennis players around the world will be sure to watch closely the number of 3 or 4 wheeled tennis chairs getting to the final rounds in Athens.

See also Wheelchair Tennis