Eighteen players from across the country joined the Tennis Foundation Performance Team for a Deaf Tennis Talent ID Day at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton over the weekend.
National Deaf Tennis Coach Catherine Fletcher and Lead Programme Coach Stuart Wilkinson watched the players show off their skills before finding out how to get further involved with the Tennis Foundation's Deaf Tennis Performance Programme, which supports players through national training and the opportunity to compete internationally.
The Talent ID day included a variety of on court activities, including fitness tests, drills to demonstrate a wide spectrum of shots and games and match play situations to challenge all levels of ability and experience.
"It was a great day and it was fantastic to see a wide range of players from young, aspiring juniors through to current and former National standard players and GB internationals all coming together to share, play and show their abilities. I'm very pleased with how it all went and it gives us a great foundation to move forward with a bright future for deaf tennis," said two-time Deaflympic medallist and seven-time National champion women's singles champion Fletcher.
Deaf tennis follows exactly the same rules as tennis but to be eligible to compete in deaf events a player must have a hearing loss of 55db or more in the best ear.
The Tennis Foundation is supporting tennis venues to become fully accessible so that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy playing the game and an increasing number of tennis centres and clubs around the country are offering deaf tennis sessions.
The Tennis Foundation also organises the annual National Deaf Tennis Championships, with the country's top players having the opportunity to be selected for a varied calendar of international championships at European and World level, including the Deaflympics, which is held every four years. The 22nd Summer Deaflympics took place in August in Sofia, Bulgaria with a five-strong GB tennis team.
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