Adaptive Standing Tennis

Adaptive Standing Tennis is a modality of tennis for individuals with physical disability who play the sport of tennis standing, or ambulatory as opposed to their counterparts who play wheelchair tennis, playing tennis in a wheelchair.[1][2] People who play adaptive standing tennis may have an amputation, cerebral palsy, limb difference, or hemiplegia.[3][4][5]

Adaptive Standing Tennis is a form of tennis for individuals with a disability that play tennis standing, or ambulatory as opposed to playing in a wheelchair

Adaptive standing tennis can be played either competitively or for recreation. The newly emerged form of tennis allows individuals with physical disabilities the opportunity to choose whether to play tennis ambulatory or in a wheelchair. With organized origins from Santiago, Chile an international circuit, the TAP World Tour, was created by the TAP Foundation in the year 2015. Enzo Amadei Jerez of Santiago, Chile is the founder of the TAP Foundation and TAP WORLD Tour. TAP is the Spanish acronym for Tennis Adaptivo de Pie. Translated from Spanish to English as playing from the foot up, or Standing Adaptive Tennis.[6][7]

To date 15 International Tournaments have taken place around the world on different continents. They include three in Santiago, Chile, Uberlandia, Brazil in 2016, the USA TAP Open in Houston, Texas in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, Malmo, Sweden in 2018, 2019, 2020, in Argentina in 2019 and in Greensboro, North Carolina in 2019 and 2021, and Inaugural Italy Open in 2022.[8][9][10] The USA TAP Open served as a spring board to boost the growth and development of adaptive standing tennis in the United States and Internationally.[11] Programs and tournaments have taken place on five different continents.[12][13][14][15] Players from over twenty-one countries around the world are currently participating in this new modality of play.[16][17][18][19]

Alex Hunt, of Nelson, New Zealand is the first person with a disability to earn a point on the ATP Tour. Alex, was born missing half of his left arm.[20] Jeronimo De-Faria-Lopes of South Africa and Ivan Corretja Verdegay of Spain are both tennis players with disabilities whom play tennis standing at an ITF level.

While still not an officially sanctioned category of tennis, organizers and players look to eventually have adaptive standing tennis officially sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation and International Paralympic Committee to be played at tennis grand slams and in the Paralympics.[21][22][23]

United States of America

Before being labeled a more organized modality of tennis several exhibitions and tournaments took place in the United States. While small in numbers organizers tried to figure out how to organize the modality of play. The Orthotics and Prosthetics Foundation, or OPAF, founded by Robin Burton in 2005 held first volley clinics in different cities across the United States introducing amputees or orthotic device users to tennis. The Foundation held the first organized United States based Amputee tennis tournament in November 2016 in conjunction with USTA middle states at Cherry Hill Health and Racquet Club in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.[24]

OPAF Adaptive Standing Tennis Tournament which took place at Cherry Hill health and racquet club in Cherry Hill, New Jersey

In 2014 Jeff Bourns of Houston, Texas started an amputee tennis program for the city of Houston at Houston’s Metropolitan Multi-Service Center with support from the United States Tennis Association of Texas and city of Houston.[25] Scott Carr and Preston Pinto would later join as coaches in the program. Jeff Bourns was the first person in American history to travel abroad representing the United States and compete Internationally in the modality of tennis at the Chile Masters Final in Santiago, Chile December of 2015, organized by the TAP Foundation and TAP WORLD TOUR.[26]

In 2016 after organized International level Amputee Tennis Tournaments began to take shape in South America, the United States of America hosted its first International level Tournament in Houston, Texas. The Inaugural USA TAP Open took place December 9-11th, 2016 at then Galleria and Tennis Athletic Club (GTAC). Cindy Benzon, Jeff Bourns, and Harold Graham in collaboration with the TAP Foundation’s Enzo Amadei Jerez, Ana Maria Rodriguez and USTA Texas organized the Inaugural tournament with 1984 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Ralston serving as tournament ambassador. Twenty-eight competitors from eleven different countries participated in the Inaugural Tournament. The USA TAP Open acted as the World Adaptive Standing Tennis Championship from 2016-2019.[27][28][29]

The Inaugural USA TAP OPEN was the first International Adaptive Standing Tennis Tournament in the United States taking place December 9-11, 2016 in Houston, Texas. 28 competitors from 11 countries participated in the World Championship.

The verbiage of modality of play amputee tennis or ampu-tennis changed Internationally to Adaptive Standing Tennis or TAP in the year 2017 due to efforts originating in Santiago, Chile. TAP is the acronym for Tenis Adaptivo de Pie, or stand-up adaptive tennis in Spanish.

In 2017 the San Antonio Amputee Foundation founded by Mona Patel started an Adaptive Standing Tennis Program led by Gordon Luedke. They would form a team called the Full Metal Racquets with help from the San Antonio Tennis Association and practice at McFarlin Tennis Center in San Antonio, Texas. The San Antonio Amputee Foundation held an organized Adaptive Standing Tennis Tournament in September of 2018.[30]

The Midwest United States hosted the Inaugural Indy Open August 25-26 2018 at Purdue University. The tournament was planned by Julie Fritz, Jaime Oppenlander, Patti Scrivano, Jeff Clark, Sandra Giorgetta, Carl Mower and Jodie Gracey with support from USTA Midwest and United States Adaptive Standing Tennis.[31] Sandra Giorgetta of Parker, Colorado held the first booth to promote Adaptive Standing Tennis at the Amputee Coalition of America’s annual conference in Tucson, Arizona July of 2018. Sandra Giorgetta is the second American and first woman to travel Internationally to compete in International Adaptive Standing Tennis Tournaments abroad in Malmo, Sweden at the Malmo, Open. Europes largest ParaSporting event.[32]

United States of America teammates Jeff Bourns and Sandra Giorgetta February 10, 2018 at the Malmo Open. Europes largest ParaSporting event. The event is held is Malmo, Sweden

In 2019 the United States had its most organized movement of Adaptive Standing Tournaments and programming. They were the Inaugural CAST Open in Greensboro, North Carolina April 26-28, the Indy Open June 24-26, the Spartan Showdown at Michigan State University August 23-25, and the International World Championship USA TAP Open Dec. 6-8 in Houston, Texas at Lifetime Fitness and Tennis Galleria.[33][34]

Team USA at 2019 USA TAP Open in Houston, Texas at Lifetime fitness and tennis

References
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