Wimbledon 2009 to Host Inaugural Women's Wheelchair Doubles Tournament

The All England Club and The Tennis Foundation are pleased to announce that this year’s Wimbledon Championships will include an inaugural Women’s Wheelchair Doubles Tournament.

Wheelchair tennis has proved highly popular with spectators at The Championships since the first men’s doubles exhibition was staged in 2001 and the popularity has only increased since the first Wimbledon Men’s Wheelchair Doubles in 2005. The sport is now firmly established at all four Grand Slams.
 
This year’s first women’s event will follow the same format as the men’s doubles, with four of the world’s leading women’s doubles partnerships competing for the top tier of world ranking points in an event sanctioned by the ITF as part of the global NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour.
 
The new women’s doubles event has been warmly received by Martina Navratilova, the winner of a record 20 Wimbledon title along with Billie Jean King, and Esther Vergeer, world No.1 women’s wheelchair tennis player.
 
"It's been my privilege to be involved in and support various wheelchair tennis development events and initiatives over many years now and I'm delighted to see how the sport has become such an integral and popular part of all the Grand Slams, especially at Wimbledon,” said Navratilova.
 
“I applaud the All England Club for inviting the advent of a women's doubles event at The Championships this year and believe it is absolutely the right time for this new event. A Wimbledon title is the ultimate in our sport and I'm thrilled that the word's top women wheelchair players will now have the opportunity of winning one."
 
Vergeer, who is currently undefeated as a singles player or doubles player in wheelchair tennis events at Grand Slams and has three singles and two doubles gold medals from the last three Paralympic Games, said:
 
"The introduction of wheelchair tennis at the Grand Slams over recent years has been an incredible boost, with the added recognition it brings to our sport and to us as players. Like any player, I have always dreamed adding a Wimbledon title to my CV one day. Not many players in the world can say they have won titles at all four Grand Slams and it's very exciting to think that I now have the chance to try and do that. Playing on the grass will pose new challenges, but I'm looking forward to the challenge and opportunity at the 2009 Championships. It's going to be an historic occasion."
 
Ian Ritchie, Chief Executive of the All England Club, said: “Wimbledon is all about celebrating the best of tennis and having the world’s leading wheelchair tennis players playing at The Championships has been a great addition to the event. The Men’s Wheelchair Doubles tournament has been widely admired by spectators and there is no doubt that the new Women’s Wheelchair Doubles tournament will be similarly well received. We look forward to welcoming the players to Wimbledon.”