Google is celebrating the Paris Paralympics 2024 in a special way today. Google is celebrating these games through new cartoon doodles every day. In today's doodle, Google has shown its special birds created for the Paralympics, which are making this series even more beautiful. In this doodle, two birds are shown playing tennis with each other. The view behind it looks like the beautiful Jardin du Palais Royal or Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.
Wheelchair tennis is also included in the 2024 Paralympic Games to be held in Paris, France, which will run from August 30 to September 7 at the Roland Garros Stadium. This stadium is known for its clay court. The competition includes singles and doubles matches in men's, women's and quads categories. National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) have specific rules for athlete participation, with each NPC eligible to receive a maximum of 11 qualification slots. This includes up to four male and four female athletes for singles events, three for quad singles, two teams each for men's and women's doubles, and one team for quad doubles.
These slots are awarded directly to athletes and all participants must be ranked in the Wheelchair Tennis Singles World Ranking List. In addition, athletes must have competed in a World Team Cup event at least twice between 2021 and 2024, with one event in 2023 or 2024. Wheelchair tennis has become one of the world's most popular sports, combining traditional elements of tennis with unique variations.
When paralyzed skier Brad Parks experimented with playing tennis in a wheelchair in 1976, the sport was born. Parks had been paralyzed in a skiing accident. Unlike other adaptive sports, wheelchair tennis is very similar to its traditional counterpart, as players use the same courts, rackets and tennis balls. One major difference between special and normal tennis is that players are allowed to bounce the ball twice in special tennis.
Wheelchair tennis has been a major part of adaptive sports competitions since its Paralympic debut at the Barcelona Games in 1992. However, it has been included in major tennis tournaments since 2007. Grand Slam tournaments, including the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, feature wheelchair tennis matches alongside traditional events.