Winner of 9 singles and 20 doubles titles
We recently caught up with Cyclone ambassador and wheelchair tennis star Antony Cotterill. Antony broke his neck when he fell into a shallow swimming pool in Sept 2003 and first started playing wheelchair tennis in 2004 whilst still in rehabilitation. Since then he has won 9 singles and 20 doubles titles and has represented Great Britain four times in the last 6 years in the World Team Cup.
Davis cup of wheelchair tennis
The World Team Cup is the Davis cup of wheelchair tennis and Antony will be representing GB again in Holland in May. “We are currently the champions, so there will be intense competition from the other top nations to beat us this year,” Antony explained.
“Australia, Israel, the US and Japan are looking really strong this year, so it should be a good tournament. I really enjoy playing in this event because it is the only one where we all get to play as a team rather than individuals.”
But the World Team Cup is just one event in Antony’s busy schedule this year. “I am playing in 16 tournaments this year. It started in January in Australia and takes me all around the world including Japan, South Korea and the USA.”
Wheelchair to support hectic lifestyle
Antony has been using an Aria wheelchair for the last 2 years, so we asked him how this super-lightweight wheelchair with a magnesium alloy frame has coped with his hectic schedule. “It has been very good for me as I am a heavy user because of my lifestyle.
“It has coped very well with all the getting in and out of a car I need to do as well as airplane travel. Although it is lightweight it has proved to be very robust and has stood up to 2 years of heavy strain with no problems.”
We wish Antony all the best at the World Team Cup and the rest of his tournaments for 2018 and hope to report back soon on his new successes.
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