The Blueprint of a Sport and the Rise of Wheelchair Tennis with Brad Parks
About this episode
This episode features an interview with Brad Parks, a pioneer of wheelchair tennis, discussing his journey and contributions to the sport.
In this inspiring episode, Patrick McEnroe sits down with one of the individuals who created and formalized wheelchair tennis: Hall of Famer Brad Parks. Following a life-altering skiing accident, Parks turned his competitive spirit toward tennis. Hear how he collaborated with recreational therapist Jeff Minnebraker to build a lightweight aluminum chair. Parks details the development of the "two-bounce rule", tweaking to push a wheelchair while holding a racket, and laying the groundwork for an adaptive sport. Parks shares the remarkable journey of the game’s evolution—from the early days of playing in heavy hospital wheelchairs with wooden rackets to the high-tech, elite global competition it is today. He reflects on the challenges of balancing his roles as a top-ranked player and the sport’s lead administrator, his historic Paralympic gold medal win, and his 2010 induction into the Hall of Fame. The TennisWorthy Podcast, presented by the International Tennis Hall of Fame, uncovers the sport's history and mindset of champions. Listen to every episode and view transcripts at tennisfame.com/podcasts.
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