Martyn Whait named recipient of 2025 ITF Brad Parks Award
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is pleased to announce Martyn Whait, an integral part of the Great Britain wheelchair tennis coaching culture for 30 years, as the recipient of the esteemed ITF Brad Parks Award for 2025.
The Brad Parks Award is presented annually to honour individuals or organisations that have significantly impacted the global landscape of wheelchair tennis and is the highest honour in the sport.
Following a recommendation by the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Committee, the ITF Board of Directors recognised Whait as a driving force in the growth, professionalism, and inclusive culture of wheelchair tennis in Great Britain.
From pioneering one of the UK's first grassroots wheelchair tennis programmes at Loughborough Lawn Tennis Club in the East Midlands region of Great Britain, to leading the development of players across the performance pathway, Whait’s first roles in wheelchair tennis included being personal coach to former British No. 1 Jayant Mistry in the late 1990s.
He went on to become Great Britain’s men’s coach, thereafter fulfilling a number of different roles within the Great Britain performance pathway. From Sydney 2000 through to Paris 2024, Whait has been a constant in Britain’s coaching and support framework for seven Paralympic Games.
He has also enjoyed medal success when captaining Great Britain men’s, women’s or quad teams at numerous World Team Cups, most notably when captaining the men’s teams that won the BNP Paribas World Team Cup title in 2019 and 2023.
Whait’s influence has also been felt on the international stage in the areas of development and coach education.
He has carried out ITF development visits to Sri Lanka, Estonia, Lithuania and Barbados, worked with the former International Wheelchair Tennis Coaches Commission, and made presentations at major international coaching conferences and workshops to share his expertise widely and to advance the development of wheelchair tennis around the world.
Whait has worked closely in Loughborough with the likes of Abbie Breakwell, Dahnon Ward and Joshua Johns.
Breakwell and Ward have progressed through the LTA junior pathway to now become senior World Team Cup players and both made their Paralympic Games debuts at Paris 2024. Meanwhile, Ward and Johns both earned US Open Junior Wheelchair Championships titles in 2022 and 2023 across boys’ singles and doubles draws.
Whait has also been tournament director for many years for the Loughborough Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, one of a network of regional grassroots tournaments across Great Britain that offer competitive opportunities for players of all standards, from beginner level up to more experienced tournament players.
On learning of that he is the recipient of the Brad Parks Award for 2025, What said:
“I am deeply honoured to have been awarded the ITF Brad Parks Award, especially in this 50th Anniversary year for wheelchair tennis. For three decades, wheelchair tennis has been my passion, and this recognition is a tribute to the incredible athletes, colleagues, volunteers and communities I have been privileged to work alongside.
From grassroots development at Loughborough Tennis Club to international success with the LTA, I have always believed in the importance of inclusion, integration and opportunity. At the heart of my work has been a simple belief - everyone should have the chance to play our great sport, regardless of ability, disability or background.
Wheelchair tennis has come so far, and this has been made possible only through the dedication and commitment of so many people, both in Great Britain and around the world. I am truly grateful to them all and thankful to the ITF for this wonderful recognition.”