Wheelchair tennis officially joined the Paralympic program at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games, four years after being a demonstration sport in Seoul. The Paralympic Games featured only men’s and women’s draws until 2004, when the quad tournament also joined the field. Wheelchair tennis has now awarded medals at seven Paralympic Games.
Canada has yet to win a tennis medal at the Paralympic Games. Sarah Hunter and Brian McPhate posted the nation’s best-ever finish so far, coming in fourth place at the Athens 2004 Games in quad doubles.
ROB SHAW NOMINATED TO PARIS 2024 CANADIAN PARALYMPIC TEAM
He’ll make his second Paralympic appearance from August 28 to September 8
Shaw will be looking to improve upon his opening round defeat in his debut at Tokyo 2020. A two-time Parapan Am Games medallist, the 34-year-old won gold at the Lima 2019 Games and silver at Santiago 2023. He was Canada’s co-flag bearer for the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games Opening Ceremony.
“Qualifying for my second Paralympic Games is the result of a lot of hard work and a lot of support from the team around me,” said Shaw. “COVID drastically impacted my experience in Tokyo, so I am really looking forward to being part of the Games as they were meant to be this time around. Until then I plan on training and preparing as hard as I possibly can to ensure that my performance at the Games is as high quality as it possibly can be.”
Currently ranked world No. 9 in the quad singles division, Shaw won his first singles title of the season just this past weekend, at the German Open in Berlin, an ITF 2 Series event. He was also runner-up at the Royan Open (ITF 1 Series) in France in June. He has secured four doubles trophies, with victories at the Georgia Open (ITF 1 Series), Japan Open (ITF Super Series), Barcelona Open (ITF 1 Series), and Royan Open, partnering with his longtime teammate Heath Davidson from Australia.
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