Towards a more inclusive Wimbledon

The challenge

Despite its growth in popularity and participation, a lack of research into player safety and performance coupled with concerns about damage to grass courts means that matches tend to be played on hard surfaces – restricting the range of tournaments at which WT can feature.

Our ongoing partnership with The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and RGK Wheelchairs – led by colleagues in The Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport (PHC) – is addressing both issues.

The project’s findings have provided assurances that WT has minimum impact on grass court surfaces while delivering data to underpin player performance and safety guidelines.

Impacts and benefits

The PHC has a wealth of experience and knowledge in the area of wheelchair sports, including tennis. However, this was the first time the research team had been able to apply their expertise to WT played on grass.

Their research findings are extremely positive, demonstrating that – with specific modifications to wheelchair configuration – WT can be safely played on grass without undue damage to the surface.

The AELTC has added our guidance to the Grand Slam Rule Book 2025. The dissemination of our findings and on-going partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) mean that British players are configuring their chairs for hard, clay and now – for the first time – grass court tournaments.

According to elite players’ testimony, the new chair configuration is providing a real competitive edge. Alfie Hewett OBE achieved his career Grand Slam haul in 2024 winning the US and Australian Opens, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He credits his newly adopted chair set up for his success in the latter pair. Meanwhile, in 2024, he and his partner Gordon Reid OBE, were the first British pairing ever to win a Paralympic Gold medal in the WT Men’s Doubles.

The LTA is interested in the project findings which will broaden dissemination to the wider tennis community – opening greater possibilities for both elite and grassroots WT players worldwide.

To support this move, the project team is developing a variety of communication tools to share their findings and encourage widespread playing of WT on grass courts – infographics, video and written guidelines, including a simple, easy to follow information card, Grass Court Tennis Equipment Guidance for Court Protection.

The UK Government’s Get Active report highlights the need for sport clubs and facilities to adapt, making participants of disability sport feel welcome so that everyone can enjoy and benefit from healthy activity.

The research and its findings support the Government’s call. By supplying much needed knowledge and understanding, the research can obviate the idea that WT damages grass courts, reducing stigma towards wheelchair users and giving voice to their experiences as disability players.

The Government also hopes to maximise UK sporting success at major events. The research findings could support the AELTC’s aims to host more wheelchair tennis on its show courts – supporting the Government’s strategy to celebrate our best athletes and place disability sport centre-stage.

Neil Stubley – Head of Courts and Horticulture at AELTC – notes the importance of the research findings for equity in sport: “It's really important that we have inclusivity across the whole spectrum. The beauty of sport is that it can be open to everyone – we just need to make sure that we can make it available to all.”

“This research can only be good for tennis. Hopefully, we can show other venues that playing WT on grass should be embraced rather than denied.”

We were privileged to work with colleagues from RGK Wheelchairs and The All England Lawn Tennis Club.