Great Britain team announced for 2026 World Deaf Team Tennis Championships in France
• 3 minute read
Coinciding with Deaf Awareness Week, we have announced the selection of an experienced Great Britain team for the 2026 World Deaf Team Tennis Championships, which gets underway on 5 July in Grenoble, France
Reigning LTA Deaf Tennis National Finals champion Esah Hayat leads a team, funded by the LTA that will also include Lewis Fletcher, Jack Clifton and Peter Willcox, with the quartet set to proudly represent their country in a tournament that will feature the world’s best deaf tennis players.
Later in the year, the LTA will also be providing grants for female deaf tennis players to enable them to attend one of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) Open events.
The four players named to compete in the World Deaf Team Tennis Championships have considerable international tournament experience, with Clifton relishing the chance to represent his country once again.
I feel that continuing to raise awareness about deaf tennis is so important to ensure that other deaf youngsters can be given the same opportunities that I’ve experienced.
“I am very excited to be called up to represent Great Britain in Grenoble, France,” he said.
“The World Deaf tennis team championships is one my favourite events to play in, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do as a team.
“I started playing tennis at five, and discovered deaf tennis when I was 11, competing in the National Deaf Tennis Championships.
“It opened my eyes to the deaf community that I hadn’t really experienced before, and it was cool to meet and see a community of deaf tennis players, but I don’t think I realised at the time how impactful it would become for me.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunities tennis and deaf tennis has given me. I have made some great friends, competed abroad, and feel very proud to say that I have represented GB on multiple occasions.
“The LTA do a great job supporting disability tennis, and I feel that continuing to raise awareness about deaf tennis is so important to ensure that other deaf youngsters can be given the same opportunities that I’ve experienced.”
LTA’s National Deaf Tennis Coach Catherine Fletcher, who won a gold medal in the 2009 Deaflympics during her own decorated playing career, is excited by the prospect of leading the team in Grenoble.
It’s also such a great honour to represent your country, as the players who will compete for Great Britain in this year’s World Deaf Team Tennis Championships will confirm.
“There is a lot of experience in this team, so I’m confident the team we have selected can perform well,” said Fletcher, who also won seven national singles titles, seven doubles and three mixed doubles titles during her own career.
“The event works a little like the Davis Cup, with two singles and the doubles is often the deciding rubber.
“So we will try to be tactical about the players we use. Lewis is more of a doubles specialist and Esah is strongest in singles and we need to get the balance of the team right to give ourselves the best chance.”
Fletcher is excited to continue her journey in deaf tennis after a playing career that gave her plenty of highlights between 2007 and 2013.
“Tennis has given me so many amazing opportunities,” she added. “I started playing tennis when I was 12 and then got picked to play for the Great Britain deaf tennis team the following year.
“This has been such a big part of my life and meeting so many people who are living a similar life to me and also enjoying tennis has been amazing.
“It’s also such a great honour to represent your country, as the players who will compete for Great Britain in this year’s World Deaf Team Tennis Championships will confirm.”
Who can compete in deaf tennis?
To be eligible, a player has to have an average hearing loss of 55dB or more in their best ear. When competing players must remove cochlear implants and hearing aids before starting the warm-up before the match. The reason for this is to allow it to be an even playing field for all
We run performance programmes for deaf, learning disability, and visually impaired tennis. This gives individuals the opportunity to train in a high performance environment and represent Great Britain on the world stage.
For those looking to compete, the LTA stages a year-round disability tennis competitions calendar to give disabled people and those with long-term health conditions a chance to compete in learning disability and autism, deaf, para standing, visually impaired, and wheelchair tennis. In 2026 the LTA has significantly increased investment in disability tennis competitions and exhibitions by nearly 25%.
