The afterglow of the Paris Paralympics is fading, and a group of dedicated tennis players is already looking ahead to Brisbane 2032. Wheelchair tennis is one of many Paralympic sports available, but there's a growing push to include athletes who play standing up.
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00:00Comedian Adam Hills is also an elite parastanding tennis player and wants others to experience
00:07the sport.
00:08If you've got one arm you can't use a wheelchair, if you're short statured you can't reach the
00:11wheels, if you've got cerebral palsy you might not have the muscle coordination to do it.
00:15It's about creating a level playing field.
00:17Parastanding tennis has been played at a grassroots level for many years with local clubs running
00:23adaptive tennis sessions.
00:25Anyone can jump on the court and play, so you can play with your family members, you
00:29can play with your friends, you can enjoy it at your local tennis club.
00:33Rules are the same as mainstream tennis, with only slight changes for people with more severe
00:38disabilities.
00:39The lower two categories which are above knee amputees, severely restricted cerebral palsy
00:44or short statured, or multiple amputees, you get two bounces.
00:48The Parastanding Tennis World Championships were officially recognised by the International
00:53Tennis Federation this year, where Hills charged into the quarter finals with his doubles
00:58partner Alex Hunt.
01:00There are people coming out of the woodwork with disabilities who play tennis at a really
01:04high level who just didn't know there was a version of the sport for them.
01:08So our goal is to get some ITF tournaments and then hopefully into the Paralympics in
01:13the future.
01:14Starting with Brisbane 2032.