Paralympic Gold Medallist Heath Davidson was at Melbourne Park to launch Tennis Australia’s first-ever All Abilities Week on Monday.
Presented by Bupa, All Abilities Week (Oct 20-26) is a national initiative that marks a dedicated moment in the tennis calendar to celebrate and raise awareness of inclusion in tennis, while creating more opportunities for people with disability both on and off the court.
Davidson related how the pathways for people to participate have come a long way since he contracted viral transverse myelitis at just five months old, ultimately resulting in paraplegia.
“The big difference between today and years past is that all of the new generation of kids are starting tennis when they are five or six, so they’re having those years to play, whereas we sort of didn’t when we were growing up.," he said.
"You come down to the [2025 Australian Wheelchair Tennis National Championships] in a couple of weeks and you’ll see twenty young kids rolling around in wheelchairs and having fun… It’s just awesome to see that kids these days are starting young and can actually see a pathway moving forward, instead of it just being a casual-social thing.”
> RELATED: Tennis Programs & Competitions for Players with All Abilities
Davidson’s career is adorned with major accolades, including four Australian Open doubles titles and a career-high singles rank of world No. 3, yet his proudest moments come from quietly reflecting on how far the sport has come.
“Just looking back and being where I am now, to see the young generation of tennis players in all disabilities, and seeing ourselves on the big stage at the Australian Open and on TV, we didn’t get those opportunities when I was a junior to see any of that,” the 38-year-old said.
With a focus on education and awareness, immersive play experience, as well as venue accessibility profiles, All Abilities Week will highlight and expand participation across five streams of play – wheelchair tennis, blind and low vision tennis, intellectual disability and autism tennis, deaf and hard and hearing tennis, and para-standing tennis.
> RELATED: All Abilities week presented by BUPA
“When we talk about tennis, we talk about getting people to play more often,” Chief Tennis Officer Tom Larner said.
“But we don’t just want to be the most participated sport in Australia, we actually want to be the most accessible sport in the country.”
Thirty clubs across the country are actively engaged throughout the week. Become involved by attending an event at one of the following locations:
VIC
- Mornington Tennis Centre, VIC
- Gardiner Tennis Club, VIC
- Caroline Springs TC - iTennis Coaching Academy, VIC
- Tullamarine TC - iTennis Coaching Academy, VIC
- Banyule Tennis Club, VIC
- Nathan Hude Tennis / Montmorency Tennis Club, VIC
- Victorian Tennis Academy, VIC
- Diamond Creek Tennis Club WINK COACHING, VIC
- Northcote Tennis, VIC
- Peterborough Tennis Club, VIC
- Rhyll Tennis Club, VIC
- Bacchus Marsh Lawn Tennis Club, VIC
- Ferntree Gully Tennis Club, VIC
- Clarinda Tennis Club - Bounce and Hit, VIC
- Narrandjeri Stadium - Disability HUB, VIC
- Epping Tennis Club, VIC
NSW
- Clubhouse Tennis - Milton Ulladulla Tennis Centre, NSW
- Collaroy Tennis Club / Evolve Tennis Academy, NSW
- Westside Tennis Club/The Harbour Tennis Academy, NSW
- City Community Tennis, NSW
- Voyager Tennis Willis Park, NSW
- Complete Tennis Wollongong, NSW
QLD
- McKinnon's Tennis & Squash, QLD
- Discovery Park Tennis Club, QLD
- Mr B's Professional Tennis, QLD
ACT
- North Woden Tennis Club/All Abilities & Wheelchair Hub for the ACT/Rising Star Tennis Academy, ACT
WA
- South Mandurah Tennis Club Tennis 4 All Program, WA
- Manning Tennis Club, WA
SA
- Somerton Park TC/Foundation Tennis Development. SA
- Hallett Cove Beach Tennis Club, SA
- DPTennis @ Colonel Light West Tennis Club, SA
For more information on how to make your venue more inclusive during All Abilities Week, check out our All Abilities Week Engagement Guide.
If you're interested in attending an event at one of these clubs, please fill out our expression of interest form.