Rafael Nadal meets 'next gen' wheelchair tennis in Jeddah | ATP tour

Next generation ATP finals

Nadal meets 'next gen' wheelchair tennis in Jeddah

Four players took part in the first wheelchair tennis event in Saudi Arabia

December 23, 2024

Saudi Tennis Federation

Ben Bartram, Shogo Takano, Maarten Ter Hofte and Robin Grounewoud with Rafael Nadal on Sunday in Jeddah.
By Andy West

A historic moment for wheelchair tennis was graced by ATP Tour royalty in Jeddah on Sunday.

Rafael Nadal headed to King Abdullah Sports City's Onyx Arena to face the four competitors aged 21 and under in an exhibition tournament hosted during the Next Gen ATP Finals. The event, with semi-finals on Saturday and a final on Sunday, was the first wheelchair tennis event to be held in Saudi Arabia.

The four-player field included three 21-year-old Dutchmen Robin Grounewoud and Maarten Ter Hofte, and Japan's Shogo Takano and 19-year-old Briton Ben Bartram, all of whom posed for a photo with the former number 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

I am a big Rafa fan, Grounewoud told ATPtour.com. Just his mentality in his sport and everything, I really admire him and the way he just worked hard. I think I like to work hard too. So I think I feel pretty comfortable with that on the track. It was crazy to see him on the court every time, fighting 100 percent.

Ter Hofte added: When I was younger I was more of a Roger guy, but when Roger retired and especially after Nadal's 2022 Australian Open victory against Medvedev, I was all over the place. The comeback, the mentality, everything. It's hard work that I like. It's the perspective.

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After Nadal's visit, Ter Hofte defeated his good friend Grounewald in the exhibition final in Jeddah. The two players, who won the doubles title together at the Dutch national championships last week, spoke positively about their experiences in the Saudi Arabian city and the presence of wheelchair tennis at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

It's obviously a great facility and we're not used to these things, Grounewald said. Not yet, but hopefully in the future. It's great to have this great facility and sell our wheelchair tennis product here. It's a pleasure to be here.

I think it is the most important thing for our sport to grow. These types of events are so much bigger than our events at the moment, so it's important that we can showcase our sport at these events.

Ter Hofte, who represented his country at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, also highlighted the need to bring wheelchair tennis to the attention of those who may not have seen it before.

[Events like this] are very important, he said. One of the most important things, because this is how we get wheelchair tennis to a higher level, in terms of performance, but also so that people who only know tennis and not wheelchair tennis, become interested. So I think that's a very important exposure.

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