Former British wheelchair tennis player Louise Hunt Skelley will be sharing her expertise while commentating at this year’s Wimbledon championships which has provided more opportunities for wheelchair players this year.
The July wheelchair tennis tournament will this year be held over five days instead of four to allow more public access to the sport and also to support the players.
Louise said: “I’m so excited to be involved in the tournament which is going to be more inclusive than ever."
Marc Mccarroll, NAGP Coach for the Wheelchair Performance Pathway and member of the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) said: “This will give the public another day to see our sport in action and to help the players maintain the high level we have seen over the years, due to the demands that grass has on wheelchair players.
“Also off the back of last year’s success where wheelchair matches took place on Court 1 and the crowds that brought to the sport, it will be great to build on this and continue to see the sport grow in this country.”
Louise, who lives in Wroughton, is celebrating commentating on her eighth Wimbledon tournament and has some tips on who to look out for this time round.
She says: “The ones to watch this year are - Novak Djokovic who has won Wimbledon six times and is currently the defending champion. The main reason he’s one to watch though is that this year he is chasing a record-breaking 21 Grand Slam titles! If he is successful in winning the championships again, he would surpass both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer!
“Jack Draper from the UK has had a considerable rise in his rankings this past year, and his powerful leftie style is always exciting to watch. He’s got so much potential and I’m looking forward to seeing what impact he can make this year!
“In the wheelchair competition, world number two from Japan, Tokito Oda, is definitely one to watch. At just 16 years old he has had a phenomenal year, flying into the top ten in the world very quickly.
“In January he made his first grand slam final on his debut at the Australian Open, and in April he became the youngest winner of the Japan Open (Super Series) men’s singles title in Iizuka City. A really nice young man with incredible talent and determination, I can’t wait to see him make an impact.”
Louise represented Great Britain at both the London and Rio Paralympics, and has won 13 senior singles and 41 senior doubles titles, with a career-high world ranking of 10.
She made two Wimbledon appearances as a player - in 2015 in the doubles, and the following year in both the singles and doubles event. The latter was the first year singles was held at the event.
Today, Louise is a tennis commentator, tournament director, inclusion specialist as well as a motivational speaker.
Those interested in finding out more about her can do so by going to http://www.louisehunt.co.uk
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