3-Time Gold Medalist: Why Wheelchair Tennis Works

Three-time Olympic gold medalist David Wagner is in Mission Viejo all week volunteering his time to teach teens wheelchair tennis.

During a lunchtime break Tuesday, he spoke to Patch about the growing sport and what it means that Mission Viejo will host the wheelchair tennis singles and doubles championships for the first time in the United States this year.

He said moving the championship will make traveling easier on competitors from Asia, Australia and the Americas. (This is the first year the competition has been held outside of Europe).

Mission Viejo's teen wheelchair tennis camp, which includes 32 players from 10 different states and six different countries, gives pros like Wagner a chance to identify emerging talent, he said.

But it also gives teens of all skill levels a chance to socialize and compete with able-bodied friends and family, he said.

And Wagner believes tennis uniquely allows those in a wheelchair to compete evenly with others.

"The (United States Tennis Association) have adopted the wheelchair rule," he said. "In a wheelchair you get two bounces. So you can play right alongside able-bodied players."

Not so in other wheelchair sports like basketball, he said.

The Mission Viejo camp is sponsored by the USTA-International Tennis Federation. Campers help pay their own way, too. The Ayres Hotel pitched in to provide accommodations, Community Services Manager Steve Bell said.

The teens, who come from as far as Argentina, get morning wheelchair tennis clinics and in-depth tennis instruction. Afternoon sessions include additional instruction, as well as an ITF-ranking wheelchair tennis tournament. Off-court activities for campers include a trip to Universal Studios.