Teenager, 15, wins inaugural tennis award

LOUGHBOROUGH Lawn Tennis Club’s Dahnon Ward, above, has been named the inaugural winner of the International Tennis Federation’s Junior Wheelchair Tennis Player of the Year Award.

Launched in January, the award recognises young wheelchair tennis players who both impress with their results on court and embody the principles of leadership and sportsmanship off it.

The ITF Wheelchair Committee selected the winners from a shortlist of nominees.

Ward, 15, from Ilkeston, is part of the LTA’s Wheelchair National Age Group Programme and one of several of Britain’s leading junior and senior players who train in Loughborough with coach Martyn Whait.

He said: “I’m very proud to receive this award. I am determined to keep working hard to continue to improve and progress.

“Massive thanks to all those who have supported me on my journey so far.”

Ward has amassed some impressive results on both the junior and senior international circuits over the past two seasons, winning the junior singles at the ITF 1 Open d’Amiens in France last year and then ending 2019 by winning the junior singles at the LTA’s Abingdon Futures tournament.

Currently at a career-best No.3 in the ITF’s Junior Wheelchair Tennis world rankings, Ward’s stand-out 2019 also saw him win a silver medal for Great Britain at the 2019 Junior World Team Cup in Israel.

He started 2020 by making his debut at the Cruyff Foundation Junior Masters in Tarbes, France.

Ward went on to reach the men’s second draw singles semi-finals at the LTA’s Wrexham Indoor ITF 3 before winning the junior singles and doubles titles at the Bolton Indoor, where he was also a finalist in the men’s second draw doubles.

Born with a rare condition called Category D proximal femoral focal deficiency, meaning he has a very short bone between his hip and knee, and no knee-cap, Ward said: “Tennis has actually changed the way I see my disability.”