The UNIQLO Interview: Brad Parks
As wheelchair tennis celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026, there will be one name that is consistently mentioned during the celebrations – and rightly so. That name is Brad Parks, the founder and ardent pioneer of wheelchair tennis.
Stories of how the now 68-year-old Californian came to be in a wheelchair, and the subsequent origins of the sport are well known. However, for context alone, they are worth hearing again from the man himself.
“In January 1976, at the age of 18, I suffered a life-changing injury while competing in a freestyle skiing competition,” Parks told itftennis.com. “I over-rotated a backflip and sustained a spinal cord injury.
“While I was in hospital, I began to imagine what life in a wheelchair might look like – what could I still do and which sports might still be possible. While lying in my hospital bed, I distinctly remember wondering, ‘could someone play tennis from a wheelchair?’.
“A few months later, shortly after leaving rehabilitation, my parents were playing tennis at a family picnic. My dad glanced over and said, ‘Brad, want to try hitting some balls?’. He knew I had been thinking about tennis.
“He fed me a few balls, I hit them back, and I remember thinking, ‘hey, this is fun’. Not long after, I decided to give myself a year to see whether playing tennis in a wheelchair was truly feasible.”
From there, wheelchair tennis was born and the sport has grown exponentially since, evolving and transcending conventional wisdom. It continues to push boundaries through the lens of sport as well as society and culture.
From being incorporated into the Paralympic Games as a full medal sport in 1992 to modern-day stars taking the Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event to Roland Garros and a packed Court Philippe Chatrier.
From the first wheelchair tennis event in Los Angeles in 1977 to the sport being played at all four Grand Slams and the introduction of a Premier Tier to the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour with increasing prize money. Wheelchair tennis has most certainly come a very long way.
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“It’s incredible to think that 50 years have passed,” said Parks, who is the among the first inductees into the ITF’s Wheelchair Tennis Hall of Champions. “It’s truly amazing to relive those early days and smile with pride at how far the sport has come – far beyond anything I imagined.
“I thought the sport would continue to grow, with a prize money circuit built around tournaments like the US Open, Australian Open [at that stage these were standalone tournaments not Grand Slams], Japan Open, Swiss Open and British Open.
“But competing for significant purses at the Grand Slams and playing in front of sold-out crowds at the Paralympics has gone far beyond anything I expected. Top players making a living playing wheelchair tennis was something I never could have imagined.
“And from 2026, wheelchair tennis features a Premier Tier circuit and is being included in more ATP and WTA events, with increasing prize money and visibility. It just keeps getting better.”
It would be foolish to believe, however, that the establishment of wheelchair tennis all those years ago was free from barriers, obstacles and dissenting voices. Far from it, which is why every advancement should be met with an appreciative nod to the past.
Whatever it was – equipment, the first wheelchair tennis circuit in the US, the sport’s first international tournament, the establishment of the International Wheelchair Tennis Federation or its integration within the ITF – there were persistent problems to solve. There were also times Parks had self-doubt.
“In the early days, there was a prevailing belief that wheelchairs did not belong on tennis courts, along with concerns that they would damage the playing surface,” added Parks.
“At the same time, there was resistance to the new lightweight sport chairs – chairs without push handles, armrests or wheel locks. Even the two-bounce rule took time for people to accept.
“Furthermore, in the 1970s and early 1980s, most wheelchair tennis players came from wheelchair basketball. Tennis was often seen as something to do in the off-season to stay in shape.
“In 1981, I had a conversation with the commissioner of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association that deeply discouraged me. He told me I was wasting my time trying to develop wheelchair tennis into a legitimate sport.
“In his PhD thesis, he wrote that tennis was not feasible as a wheelchair sport. I questioned myself after that. He knew far more about wheelchair sports than I did – or so I thought – and his words carried weight.”
Thankfully, Parks persevered.
“Then came one of our premier tournaments in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1985,” he said. "It was held at a club with a lobby that overlooked 12 courts. I remember looking out and seeing all 12 courts full.
“We had roving umpires, scoring devices on every net and players dressed like tennis players who were using sport wheelchairs. I even spotted a few coaches.
“In that moment, I thought, ‘yes, this is wheelchair tennis – we can play tennis using a wheelchair, and this sport is here to stay'.
"When the sport later transitioned to the ITF, some players came to me and said that it did not feel the same as when [my wife] Wendy and I ran it. They felt the sport was going backwards.
“I told them to be patient, that this transition was the best thing for wheelchair tennis. I believed it would grow beyond anything I could ever accomplish on my own. Looking at where the sport is today, I know that belief was right.”
It is important to highlight that Parks’ own journey includes winning gold at the 1992 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event in Barcelona alongside Randy Snow, who he credits for “taking the game to new heights”.
Fast-forward 32 years and Paris 2024 witnessed scenes that were scarcely believable as record attendances saw a Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event contested at a Grand Slam venue – Roland Garros – for the first time.
Parks, however, is the first to acknowledge that he was sceptical about wheelchair tennis being included within the Paralympic Movement.
“I was never strongly in favour of including wheelchair tennis in the Paralympics,” added Parks. “I wasn’t opposed to it, but I did not believe it was worth the time and effort to pursue.
“By the late 1980s and early 1990s, we already had the US Open as the world’s premier tournament. The Japan Open, British Open, Swiss Open and Australian Open were all becoming outstanding events, along with many strong national tournaments.
“At the time, I felt we didn’t need the Paralympics. I was wrong. Competing in Barcelona was an incredible experience. Our final doubles match was played in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd and the energy was unforgettable.”
There are so many moments and players from the last 50 years which not only give Parks goosebumps but “tell the story of how wheelchair tennis has earned its place”. But talk of the past inevitably leads to considerations of the future.
“Players over the years have taken the sport to levels I could never have imagined,” said Parks. “Today's generation play wheelchair tennis in ways that surpass anything I once thought possible.
“I believe the sport will continue to grow and improve in every way – greater prize money, increased television coverage and players who keep pushing the level of play higher and higher.”
So here's to the future, but also the past. The sport owes you so much, Brad.