An All Abilities Day, which focuses on recognising the many inclusive formats of tennis, is being introduced at Australian Open 2023.
Melbourne, Australia, 14 December 2022 | tennis.com.au
Australian Open 2023 will host the first-ever All Abilities Day on Tuesday 24 January to celebrate and provide opportunities for all members of our diverse community to experience and enjoy the tournament.
Former world No.1 quad wheelchair player and 2022 Australian of The Year Dylan Alcott joined Tennis Australia’s Head of Players with Disability Danielle Gescheit, as well as world No.3 quad wheelchair player Heath Davidson, Victorian blind and low vision tennis players Adam Fayad and Robert Fletcher, ATC 2022 II-2 women’s singles champion Olivia Sayers, and deaf and hard of hearing junior player Ryder Smith to make the announcement at Melbourne Park this morning.
All Abilities Day will focus on recognising the many inclusive formats of tennis, and invite people who have vision, hearing, mobility, sensory and or intellectual disabilities to enjoy all that the Australian Open has to offer in a safe and inclusive environment.
“It’s bloody awesome, the first Grand Slam to do this … disability is often the category that is left out, so to have an All Abilities Day is pretty special,” said 23-time Grand Slam champion Dylan Alcott.
“Twenty percent of the Australian population have some form of disability, physical or non-physical, and they love tennis, and they deserve the opportunity to come, watch and play.
“All the work that has been done … I know my consultancy firm Get Skilled Access has been involved around things like seating, ticketing, social media … that’s pretty cool and leading the way for other sports and major events to hopefully follow. Everybody deserves the right to pick and choose what they do in their lives, and I hope lots of people with disabilities come and enjoy the AO.”
Coinciding with the start of the Australian Open wheelchair tennis competition, which features an expanded draw for the world’s best players, All Abilities Day will include on-court opportunities for kids and adults from Tennis Australia’s disability pathways. These include intellectual disability (PwID), Down syndrome, neurodiverse, deaf or hard of hearing (DHoH), blind or low vision, and people with physical disability and are designed to offer an on-court experience to anyone who would like to come and try the…
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