LTA National Wheelchair Tennis Coach Martyn Whait receives ITF’s Brad Parks Award for 2025
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Martyn Whait, National Coach on the LTA Wheelchair Performance Pathway, has been announced as the recipient of the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) Brad Parks Award for 2025.
The Brad Parks Award is presented annually to honour individuals or organisations that have significantly impacted the global landscape of wheelchair tennis, and it is the highest honour in wheelchair tennis.
In notifying Whait of his award, the ITF recognised Whait as a driving force in the growth, professionalism, and inclusive culture of wheelchair tennis in Great Britain across more than 30 years, as well as his immense contribution to some of Britain’s greatest achievements in wheelchair tennis and the development of the sport worldwide.
On learning of his award, named after Brad Parks, the founder of wheelchair tennis in 1976, Whait said: “I am deeply honoured to have been awarded the ITF Brad Parks Award, especially in this 50th Anniversary year for wheelchair tennis.
"For three decades, wheelchair tennis has been my passion, and this recognition is a tribute to the incredible athletes, colleagues, volunteers and communities I have been privileged to work alongside.
“From grassroots development at Loughborough Tennis Club to international success with the LTA, I have always believed in the importance of inclusion, integration and opportunity. At the heart of my work has been a simple belief - everyone should have the chance to play our great sport, regardless of ability, disability or background.
"Wheelchair tennis has come so far, and this has been made possible only through the dedication and commitment of so many people, both in Great Britain and around the world. I am truly grateful to them all and thankful to the ITF for this wonderful recognition.”
From pioneering one of the UK's first grassroots wheelchair tennis programmes at Loughborough Lawn Tennis Club to leading the development of players across the performance pathway, Whait’s first roles in wheelchair tennis included being personal coach to former British No.1 Jayant Mistry in the late 1990s.
He went on to become Great Britain’s men’s coach and, in that role, played a key part in the activation of the first wheelchair tennis doubles exhibitions at The Championships, Wimbledon, between 2001 and 2004. Wheelchair tennis then became an established part of the Wimbledon tournament infrastructure from 2005 onwards.
Since his tenure as National men’s coach ended, Whait has fulfilled a number of different National coaching roles within the LTA Wheelchair Performance Pathway, and has been a constant in Britain’s coaching and support framework for seven Paralympic Games, from Sydney 2000 through to Paris 2024.
He has also enjoyed medal success when captaining Great Britain men’s, women’s or quad teams at numerous World Team Cups, most notably when captaining the men’s teams that won the BNP Paribas World Team Cup title in 2019 and 2023.
LTA Head of Wheelchair Performance Pathway Erik Koers added: “Both personally, and on behalf of our LTA Wheelchair Performance Pathway, I am delighted for Martyn that he has been recognised with the Brad Parks Award after his sustained commitment to our sport over the last 30 years.
At the heart of my work has been a simple belief - everyone should have the chance to play our great sport, regardless of ability, disability or background.
Dividing his time between the National Tennis Centre and his local coaching commitments in Loughborough, Whait has worked extensively in Loughborough with the likes of Abbie Breakwell, Dahnon Ward, and Joshua Johns.
Breakwell and Ward have progressed through the junior pathway to now become senior World Team Cup players, and both made their Paralympic Games debuts at Paris 2024. Meanwhile, Ward and Johns both earned US Open Junior Wheelchair Championships titles in 2022 and 2023 across boys’ singles and doubles draws.
Whait also worked closely with the doubles team of Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid between 2019 and 2024, a period during which they went from two-time Paralympic silver medallists to gold medallists, on top of their continued successes at the Grand Slam tournaments.
Whait’s influence has also been felt on the international stage in the areas of development and coach education. He has carried out ITF development visits to Sri Lanka, Estonia, Lithuania and Barbados, and made presentations at major international coaching conferences and workshops to share his expertise widely and to advance the development of wheelchair tennis around the world.
