Paralympics 2024 in Paris: Google unveils special doodle to celebrate wheelchair tennis, here you can find out everything about the sport

With the Paralympics underway in Paris, Google unveiled a special Google Doodle on September 3 to celebrate wheelchair tennis at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

Wheelchair tennis was founded in 1976 by American freestyle skier Brad Parks and follows the same rules as tennis, but with some modifications.

With its doodle, Google tries to recognize the athletic skill and determination of the players by celebrating wheelchair tennis. The Google Engaged doodle shows animated birds.

In the doodle, Google showed two birds playing tennis in a wheelchair in the immaculate Parisian garden of the Jardin du Palais Royal or Jardin des Tuileries.

The wheelchair tennis competitions, which began on August 30 at the Paris Paralympics, will conclude on September 7 at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, known for its clay court. The tournament includes singles and doubles matches in the men’s, women’s and quads categories.

On September 3, Japanese tennis player Yui Kamiji, French D.De Groot and Chinese ZY Wang reached the semifinals of the women’s singles. Meanwhile, the match between Chinese XH Li and French A van Koot is underway.

Fastest growing wheelchair sports worldwide:

According to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), wheelchair tennis is one of the fastest growing wheelchair sports in the world.

It gained momentum in the 1980s when France became the first country in Europe to develop a dedicated wheelchair tennis program.

Wheelchair tennis was first introduced at the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona.

Although the size of the court, rackets or tennis balls are not changed, the rules are different. This includes the “two-bounce rule” which allows the ball to bounce twice before being hit.

In addition to the Paralympics, athletes compete in a number of tournaments, including Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open, as well as the Masters in singles and doubles.

Wheelchair tennis is also regulated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).