Ward named inaugural winner of ITF award
LOUGHBOROUGH Lawn Tennis Club’s Dahnon Ward has been named the inaugural winner of the International Tennis Federation’s Junior Wheelchair Tennis Player of the Year Award.
Launched in January this year, 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.
The 15-year-old 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 before 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 and 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 began playing wheelchair tennis in November 2015. He said: “Tennis has actually changed the way I see my disability.”
Earlier this year he was selected for the LTA’s Wheelchair National Age Group Programme, which is designed to educate and develop players as they transition through the LTA’s World Class Wheelchair Tennis Performance Pathway, allowing them to be best prepared to become elite international athletes.
As part of the programme, Ward has access to training and tournament guidance from LTA coaches, training camps, home training visits and support to maintain a sport/life balance. He has also been able to benefit from webinars organised by the governing body during lockdown. Ward added: “Being selected for the NAGP is an opportunity to learn more and to access the support of coaches and other sports professionals both on court and off court. This should enable me to improve all aspects of my game.” • To find out more about the LTA’s work with
disability tennis, head to www.lta.org.uk/play or email disabilitytennis@lta.org.uk.