Frequently Asked Questions
Advantage Wheelchair Tennis questions
What is Advantage Wheelchair Tennis Club?
Advantage Wheelchair Tennis is a wheelchair tennis cub set up in September 2009 by Garreth Greene, a wheelchair tennis player in Ireland. Advantage is a club under the umbrella of Irish Wheelchair Association - Sport.
Why wheelchair tennis?
Advantage was set up to to facilitate the progression and development of wheelchair tennis in Ireland. A large amount of tireless effort and work has been put into developing wheelchair tennis to date. The Irish Wheelchair Tennis Open celebrates continuing success and participation. Development at Carrickmines Tennis Club continues to do great work with developing wheelchair tennis. Advantage's inception and continued success is mainly due to IWA - Sport and all at Carrickmines Tennis Club.
Where is Advantage based?
Advantage is based in IWA - Sport, Blackheath Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3. This is Advantage's registered location only.
Where does the club train?
The club trains in The National Tennis Centre (Tennis Ireland), Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 11 every Thursday from 7.00pm to 9.00pm.
Who can join Advantage?
Advantage welcomes new players all the time. However, please note Advantage is a club for senior and junior players with potential. A high level of mobility is generally required. We make this note not to discriminate, but due to a lack of funds, volunteers and coaches. Unfortunately we will not be able to provide the attention to players who may require one-on-one training and coaching or has specific coaching needs. Advantage is striving to provide tennis for everyone but at the moment we a limited by our support. Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you wish to discuss a particular aspect of this.
How do I join or get involved with Advantage?
As a player you can fill out this form if you are interested in joining advantage. We would prefer some contact first before a player just turning up as we may need to book more courts etc.
I'm not a wheelchair player but I would still like to get involved - is this possible?
If you wish to get involved with Advantage as a volunteer and have some sort of background in tennis then we would be delighted to hear from you. You can fill out this contact form, tick the correct box and we will get in touch.
How much does it cost to join Advantage?
At the moment funds our are very limited. Court fees are expensive so at the moment we ask all our players to invest in the club by paying a schedule fee. Currently this is €80.00 and this covers the player for 10 weeks training. Once a player makes this payment they are free to train with the club for 10 weeks. If you miss a week's training you cannot carry it forward. This schedule fee is considered an investment in the club as once we gain more funds through fundraising and donations, all players who have invested will receive a much discounted rate - this may even result in just paying a low subs rate.
I would like to support advantage but I can't volunteer, can I still help?
We appreciate a lot of people don't have the time to give when it comes to volunteering. However if you would like like to help advantage you can visit the support page where you will see a number of ways you can still help Advantage keep going and keep playing! We really appreciate any help no matter how small and all contributors will be thanked individually and, if they so wish, their name posted on our contributors page.General Wheelchair Tennis Questions
What is wheelchair tennis?
Wheelchiar tennis is the sport of tennis but played by people with a physical disability that requires them to use a wheelchair full or part-time.
What's the difference between wheelchair tennis and tennis?
There is only one main difference between tennis and wheelchair tennis, that being that the ball can bounce twice for a wheelchair player. The courts are the same size and the same types and size of racquet's are used. The net is also the same height. Basically, wheelchair tennis = tennis.
Who can play wheelchair tennis?
Wheelchair tennis is not restricted by disability in terms of participation. On a recreational level anybody can play (able-bodied & disabled) but competitively you must have a medically proven permanent physical disability. Competitive wheelchair tennis is classed into groups such as para, quad etc. More information on classification can be found on the ITF website.
Can a wheelchair player play with an able-bodied player?
Yes of course, the wheelchair tennis player would get two bounces of the ball on their side of the court while the able-bodied player gets a single bounce. Other than that there are no other restrictions to the integrated game.
Is wheelchair tennis a competitive sport?
Yes, much like recreational tennis - wheelchair tennis can be enjoyed as a fun past-time, or as a highly competitive sport. Wheelchair tennis has grown hugely in popularity and now enjoys a various international tours with world-class players competing at over 150 pro tournaments every year. This does not include local and national tournaments outside the professional arena.
Is there special equipment needed?
Wheelchair tennis can be played using an everyday wheelchair easily. Depending on your level of participation, you can use an everyday chair no problem, but eventually a proper tennis chair would be recommended. Standard racquet's are used so choosing the right racquet is of course important.
What is a proper wheelchair tennis chair?
A proper, or professional wheelchair tennis chair is a wheelchair specially constructed with tennis in mind. Like all other wheelchair sports, player dynamics, speed and agility factors are examined constantly and chairs are then designed to give a player the best advantage on court. A tennis chair's back wheels have a large camber (angled outwards) so the chair can turn much quicker and under less area. High pressure tyres (up to 250psi) on the back wheels allow for as much free-wheeling as possible. The casters (front wheels) are very small and hard allowing the chair to again turn faster and roll easier. The chair may have an anti-tip caster placed at the back so a player can lean back for high returns or serves and not tip over backwards. Strapping is generally used (if needed) to keep a player as supported and as rigid to the tennis chair as possible, thus allowing complete control of the tennis chair. Strapping can also help a lack of balance and also increase leverage with some players. The chairs are generally built as lightweight as possible with titanium and aluminium alloys being the most popular.
Are tennis wheelchairs expensive?
Generally a Tennis chair can cost anything between €2,000 and €4,000 depending on your requirements. You can lease a tennis chair also, information on this is covered in the next question.
Where can I buy a tennis chair?
There are scores of sports wheelchair providers all over Ireland, the UK, Europe and worldwide. It is better to go with a local company as this makes getting the right chair to suit a lot easier. Invacare, RGK and GTM all manufacture their own designs of wheelchair tennis chairs and you can get info on these from their respective websites. You can also lease a tennis chair under a special scheme from IWA - Sport by contacting the relevant area/sports development officer, this is the cheapest option and gives you a much better idea of what you need as it lets you try before you buy so to speak.
Can wheelchair tennis be played on different surfaces?
Yes wheelchair tennis can be played on pretty much any surface: indoor/outdoor hard courts, clay, grass or astroturf, although hard courts are much preferred as this makes movement and pushing much easier.
