ITF

16 ITFWORLD SPRING 2016 In the mid-'80s Parks wouldn't dare dream of such a union, but he was still bullish about his sport's future. There was a circuit of tournaments and people from Europe were starting to come to the States to play. "I remember being at a tournament in the mid-west at one of those private clubs with a nice lobby and I was looking out the window and seeing 12 or more courts in use. "When we first started, at the first couple of tournaments, people would turn up to play in Levis (jeans) and they had hospital chairs. There were no sports chairs in those days, just regular chairs like you would see at an airport or somewhere. "And I remember looking out that window — there must have been a hundred competitors — and seeing everyone in tennis gear and sports chairs, and I thought to myself, 'I'm sorry, but this is tennis'. I was smiling and so happy. It was a special moment." Parks still had to fight the sceptics and those who were reluctant to accommodate the disabled athlete. He remembers a time when he joined his father and brother on a golf course and even though he was on braces and crutches he managed to hit a decent ball. Just after he'd bogeyed the first hole he was asked to leave the course by the head pro because he feared Parks's crutches would damage the greens. Sometime later he was relating the story to a sponsor friend from Wilson who said he would try to get permission for him to play on the Jack Kramer course. The word came back from Kramer himself that "Brad Parks can play on my golf course any time he wants." "When we first started playing wheelchair tennis we were always paranoid that we would get kicked off the court," said Parks, "but we eventually overcame that stigma." As a player, Parks was unbeaten for several years and was ranked No. 1 from 1980 to '89. However, he yearned PHILIPPE CHATRIER AWARD Losing to great rival R andy Snow, left, at the 1981 US Open At the UNIQLO Wheelchair Doubles Masters in 2013

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