ITF

14 ITFWORLD SPRING 2016 PHILIPPE CHATRIER AWARD Wheelchair tennis celebrates its 40th birthday in 2016, and the ITF is honouring Brad Parks with the Philippe Chatrier Award. Clive White spoke to him about the journey that has led to the sport he founded becoming fully established, and embraced by its able-bodied equivalent. B rad Parks, the founding father of wheelchair tennis, was earlier this year invited to write about his experiences in the sport for the ITF's website. The American ended the piece by quoting something that IT entrepreneur Steve Jobs once said: "Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice." Doubtless Parks remembered just such an occasion when his own beliefs were called into question by others. It was at a banquet for the National Wheelchair Games in 1980 at the University of Illinois four years after Parks had launched wheelchair tennis and a prominent individual from the world of wheelchair sport approached him and said, "I hate to burst your bubble, Brad, but you're wasting your time with this wheelchair tennis." The man in question was a lot older than Parks and more experienced in the workings of disabled sport, but the younger man stood his ground and argued the merits of a sport that he hoped would one day achieve some success. "For his thesis at the university, where he got his doctorate, this guy did a study of what sports were feasible for wheelchairs and one of those he said were not feasible was tennis," said Parks. "His reasoning was that tennis required a side-to-side movement, it was a 'shuffle sport' and you can't shuffle in a wheelchair. "I had a lot of respect for this man but I was a young kid and he wasn't! I told him that I really feel I can play tennis and I enjoy it and believe that it is something that can catch on, but I remember going home from that banquet and questioning whether I was wasting my time or not. I mean, we didn't know, it was all new. It was discouraging." Thankfully, Parks kept on listening to his "inner voice" and today wheelchair tennis is well and truly established as a disabled sport. It is a fixture in the Paralympics, embraced by the Grand Slams and since 1998 has been under the umbrella of the ITF. In fact, it is the envy of many disabled sports. And all that Parks ever hoped for it was that they would get more people to play and run some tournaments. Another milestone will be marked this May when Parks receives the Philippe Chatrier award for his services to wheelchair tennis. While honoured to receive this prestigious award he is anxious to single out one other person in particular for their contribution to the development of the sport. ROLLING Brad Parks at home in San Clemente, California

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