St. Louis hosts Level 2 Indoor Wheelchair Tennis Championships

Included in all the new developments was returning player Kevin Green, who helped run the championships alongside Zolman and is one of the top wheelchair players in the country. His tennis journey started when he was in middle school, and this was his 28th year competing.

“I started playing tennis at 12 years old because a few of my friends on my wheelchair basketball team were already playing tennis,” Green said. “In college I played on the wheelchair tennis team at Middle Tennessee State University. While playing on the team, I won four National Collegiate Championships in doubles and one National Collegiate Championship in singles.”

Green previously had traveled to tournaments all over the United States, so he was ready to hit the courts in his hometown. 

“This was my fourth tournament of the year,” Green said. “To prepare for this tournament I practiced a few days a week, did private lessons with Mark and participated in group clinics with standing players.”

Amongst the competition was a friendly environment. The community of players is tight-knit and welcoming.

“Mainly it’s about the smiles,” Zolman said. “The wheelchair tennis community is a family. We are different from other tournaments. We feed everyone throughout the tournament, and our main goal is to be a player-friendly event. It’s all about the players.”

The rules of wheelchair tennis are slightly different compared to traditional tennis, while the competition is just as fierce.

“I always like for everyone to know that we are athletes like any other tennis player,” Green said. “We don’t see ourselves as inspirational. We want to win.”

For photos from the tournament, click here. For a USTA St. Louis story recapping the 2023 L2 St. Louis Indoor Wheelchair Tennis Championships, click here. For additional information about St. Louis and USTA Missouri Valley wheelchair programs, click here.