Hot wheels - how wheelchair tennis became a Grand Slam draw - BBC Sport

"It didn't feel huge," said Jayant Mistry of playing wheelchair tennis at the 2002 Australian Open. But bringing the sport into the Grand Slam spotlight for the first time changed everything.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBy Sophie BrownBBC SportImage caption, Alfie Hewett (left in main, central image) is Britain's most successful Grand Slam wheelchair tennis champion with 26 titles across singles and doubles; Jayant Mistry (right in main image) was the first British player to win a wheelchair title at a Grand Slam, claiming the men's doubles at the Australian Open in 2002

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Sometimes a small detail marks a big step forward.

By 2002, an event called the Australian Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships had been running for a few years in Melbourne.

It had a big draw - 45 players in the men's singles, 22 in the women's and an accompanying quad competition - ranking points and prize money. It took place at Melbourne Park, which also hosts the Australian Open.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/68000237?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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