Marshall Thomas honoured for services to disability tennis
Marshall Thomas, the ITF’s pre-eminent wheelchair tennis journalist and researcher, has been recognised by The Queen in the 2022 New Year Honours List for his dedication to the promotion and coverage of the sport.
Thomas has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to disability tennis, incorporating his work in wheelchair tennis and deaf tennis. For over a quarter of a century, the 51-year-old has played an integral role in delivering and facilitating media coverage of wheelchair tennis on the national and international stage, a period that has seen the sport establish itself as a fixture at all four Grand Slam tournaments and a leading Paralympic discipline.
“I consider myself very fortunate to have realised a boyhood ambition and to have been able to write about sport for the majority of my adult life,” said Thomas, who beyond his own reporting for the ITF and the Lawn Tennis Association also assists in a myriad of behind-the-scenes media roles, from social media coverage in and out of competition to providing historical and statistical match notes for broadcast commentary.
“To see Great Britain become one of the world’s most successful nations across all major forms of disability tennis has been a privilege,” he added. “Equally, to have played a small part in wheelchair tennis’s journey and to have witnessed its elevation to Grand Slam status and to have been able to help increase the profile of the sport and the players, who are the stars, has been a joy.
“I’ve made countless friends for life through tennis and have been honoured to have been supported by so many fantastic colleagues, to whom I’m truly grateful, but first and foremost I dedicate this award to my family.”
Thomas has been involved in wheelchair tennis since 1997, when he first served as press officer for the British Open, which was followed a week later by the ITF’s World Team Cup – the wheelchair tennis equivalent of the Davis and Billie Jean King Cups.
In September 2001 he took up a freelance PR and media position with the UK’s Tennis Foundation, then the governing body for wheelchair tennis, a role that has continued since its integration with the LTA. He also began working with the ITF in 2003, where he has driven editorial coverage of the elite and emerging stars of the global game.
A fount of knowledge and ranking among the best-connected figures in the sport, Thomas is rightly regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities in wheelchair tennis. Since the turn of the century, he has covered every Paralympic Tennis Event and witnessed wheelchair tennis’s rise to Grand Slam status at all four majors, reporting on each of them.
In addition, he also covers deaf tennis, reporting on national championships in the UK and the World Deaf Championships, as well as covering the Deaflympics.
“On behalf of everyone at the ITF, I would like to congratulate Marshall for this well-deserved and prestigious award,” ITF President David Haggerty said in tribute.
“His contribution to the sport of wheelchair tennis in Britain, and beyond, has been invaluable and we are lucky to have benefited from his unrivalled knowledge and passion in the two decades that he has worked with us.”