What is para standing tennis? The rules, how you can play & growing the game in Great Britain
• 2 MINUTE READ
Introducing para standing tennis – also known as adaptive standing tennis – a form of our sport for people with physical impairments who want to play tennis without the use of a wheelchair.
This includes, but not limited to, people with limb loss, limb deficiencies, cerebral palsy, acquired brain injuries, people who are short statured.
It’s a brilliant way for people to get into tennis, to play against and meet people like them.
Para standing tennis is now recognised by the ITF and various national tennis federations (including the LTA), with players and a growing list of competitions in countries across the world.
Para standing tennis rules
Here’s TV Presenter and para standing tennis player Adam Hills to explain a little bit more about the sport and some of the rules you should know.
Para Standing Tennis classifications:
- PST 1: Upper limb amputee or similar impairment
- PST 2: Below-knee amputee, mild cerebral palsy or other impairment with similar mobility level
- PST 3: Above-knee or bilateral below-knee amputee, bilateral arm impairment, or moderate to severe cerebral palsy
- PST 4: Short Statured or other impairment with similar impact on mobility
Everyone plays on a full-size tennis court and the rules are largely the same as traditional tennis, with one exception.
If you’re more restricted around the court or in the Short Statured category (PST 3 or 4) you get two bounces, while PST 1 and 2 can only have one.
How are we supporting para standing tennis
At the LTA, we’re working together with our national partners – Limb Power, CP Sport and Dwarf Sport Association – to open up tennis to their communities with a growing focus on para standing tennis.
Recently, we held our first para standing tennis festival at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. The festival welcomed people from around the country to get on court, play tennis and have a taste of what the sport can offer.
The players – hosted by the LTA and ‘The Last Leg’ Presenter, Hills – also got the chance to meet two former world No.1s with 27 Grand Slam titles between them, Andy Murray and Gordon Reid. Murray and Reid were keen to show their support for the sport, as well as fellow Brit Alfie Hewett, who took to social media to promote the festival.
The festival stands as a launchpad for the development of para standing tennis as a recognised disability tennis format in Britain. Going forward, we will also be supporting a number of domestic competitions to encourage more people to play and compete around the country.
If you want to learn more about para standing tennis and how you can get involved - get in touch with us at disabilitytennis@lta.org.uk.
You can also join the community of players on Facebook already.
For those already involved in competition the Para Standing international body are hosting a European and World Games in 2024, both of which will be sanctioned by the ITF. Find out more information.
