Paris Paralympics 2024: Google unveils special doodle to celebrate wheelchair tennis, here’s all about the sport

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

Founded by US freestyle skier Brad Parks in 1976, the wheelchair tennis follows the same rules as tennis but has been adopted with some modifications.

With its doodle, Google has tried to honour the athletic skill and determination of the players by celebrating wheelchair tennis. The Google engaged doodle features animated birds.

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

The wheelchair tennis events, which started on 30 August in the Paris Paralympics, will end on 7 September at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, known for its clay court. The tournament features singles and doubles matches in the men’s, women’s, and quads categories.

On 3 September, Japanese tennis player Yui Kamiji, France's D.De Groot and China's Z Y Wang proceeded to semifinals in the women's singles. While the match between China's XH Li and France's A van Koot is underway.

Fastest-growing wheelchair sports globally:

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 specific wheelchair tennis programme.

Wheelchair tennis was first introduced at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympics.

Though the size of the court, rackets, or tennis balls is not modified, the rules are different, including the ‘two-bounce rule,’ which allows the ball to bounce twice before being hit.

Apart from the Paralympics, athletes compete in a series of tournaments including Grand Slams: Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open, plus the singles and doubles Masters.

Also, the wheelchair tennis is governed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

With agency inputs.