The UNIQLO Interview: Dan James
If you were to suggest some founding principles that have underwritten the career of Dan James then embracing difference and bringing out the best in people may well be strong contenders.
There are others of course – failure is needed to succeed, celebrate who you are – but whatever his mantra or philosophy, James’ output over the past four decades amounts to a glittering body of work in the advancement of wheelchair tennis.
For anyone unaware, James is an incredibly accomplished coach who was the USTA’s long-serving Wheelchair Tennis Manager and Head Coach following roles at grassroots level and then within the high-performance space.
During his time at the USTA, he led USA’s Paralympic and Parapan Am delegations to five Paralympic Games and three Parapan Am Games, while he distinguished himself as his nation’s World Team Cup captain for 19 years.
James, now 53, was also the Tournament Director of the US Open Wheelchair Tennis competition for two years from 2013, and he remains a staunch advocate of wheelchair tennis despite stepping away from his USTA role in 2016.
His contribution to the growth and development of the sport he has helped nurture cannot be overstated, while his place in the pantheon of those to have had a sizeable impact on wheelchair tennis was secured long ago.
Indeed, it is an odyssey which began in 1992 and as with most things largely by chance and circumstance, with Minnesota-born James just 22 years old when he took his first tentative steps into coaching.
“My dad stuck a racket in my hand when I was five and I felt I was born to play tennis,” said James. “I played right through High School, College and then had dreams of going further, but they were quashed when I wasn’t good enough.
“I then decided to become a coach and I became a pro at a wonderful club, but I was only doing five hours a week. I learned that wasn’t going to feed me, so I took any drill I could.
“One Sunday, I went down and there were people in wheelchairs playing tennis and I ended up having a hit with them in a chair. I fell out loads of times, but I fell in love with the game and that’s how it all started.”
From those formative years, a thought process and reasoning emerged which would evolve and expand over time but nevertheless underpin his future endeavours.
“Getting to know the world of wheelchair tennis introduced me to the world of possibility,” added James. “It was also an introduction to the idea that a coach’s job is to tell people what they can do. It is to figure out what they can do and how they need to do it.
“It was amazing how quickly the chair disappeared as you were putting a puzzle together for each individual, while each disability had a different manifestation. It was about being creative in how you play and how you were going to be successful.
“We – the player and coach – looked to solve the problem together and it was a great life lesson in terms of looking at the opportunity rather than the problem. My mentors were Randy Snow, Brad Parks and Nancy Olson and they took me under their wing and taught me.
“I was supposedly the expert in tennis, but I wasn’t in this environment and as an able-bodied person going into this role, I was just open to learning and I am so thankful that some of the best players in the world took time to teach me.”
It was over a decade later – in 2003 to be precise – when James became the USTA’s Wheelchair Tennis Manager and Head Coach, which saw him lead Team USA to numerous Paralympic Games from Sydney through to Rio de Janeiro.
He and Team USA brought home medals from each of the Games they competed at, while Athens in 2004 was the scene of possibly the most striking and notable moment of his time in wheelchair tennis.
“This first time Nick Taylor and David Wagner won gold in the quad doubles, I don’t think I was prepared for how much that would mean,” he said. “I was just so happy for them.
“You see the trials and tribulations that any elite athlete goes through, and the sacrifice culminates in that moment – the national anthem, the flag going up – and it’s very emotional.
“But there are so many memories along the way, and something which I really take away is the athlete pushing me to be better as a coach, and one of my favourite memories involves this.
“I remember a young girl, Lauren Haneke-Hopps, struggling with her backhand and she was almost yelling at me to get out on court to work with her, and her drive really inspired me.
“So much work goes into the transition from development to performance, and it was the motivation, athleticism and attitude of the players that pushed me to be better. At the same time, it’s my job to push them to be better.
“But that incident was almost symbolic of the player-coach relationship in which they really pushed me to be better and learn more.”
It is almost impossible to cover all of James’ exploits succinctly. As well as the above, he has also authored training manuals, been instrumental in the inclusion of wheelchair tennis inductees into the International Tennis Hall of Fame – an advancement which began in 2010 – and served on the ITF’s Wheelchair Tennis Advisory Panel.
He has been hugely influential in a sport which has evolved and grown so much over time, whether that be in terms of integration with the Grand Slams, increased draw sizes, improved investment and sponsorship or growth into new markets
It was his commitment and visionary influence which saw James honoured as the 2022 recipient of the Brad Parks Award, an accolade presented each year to an individual or organisation that has made a significant contribution to wheelchair tennis.
“In my opinion, winning the Brad Parks Award was the ultimate honour,” added James. “It encapsulates what has been a career of passion and dedication.
“More importantly, it represents its namesake, who was one of my original mentors and an incredible man. To be recognised in such a fashion was the highest honour I could possibly ask for. I was – and still am – incredibly grateful.”
Dan James, take a bow.