Posted on July 8, 2021

Wheelchair Tennis Tournament Returns to Grand Rapids

Over 40 wheelchair tennis athletes are competing in Grand Rapids at the 2021 Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Championship. This tournament, presented by Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports, is highly competitive and features athletes with great stories of all levels of experience from Paralympians to hometown heroes.

When: Tournament play begins at 9:00am Friday, July 9 through Sunday July 11

Where: MVP Athletic Club – Crahen, 115 Crahen Ave NE, Grand Rapids

In over 150 matches, the over 40 athletes will compete in coed divisions for over $5,000 in prize money. National athletes from across the United States are competing in this year’s United States Tennis Association (USTA) Category II event.

A USA Paralympian will be returning to this year’s tournament as well. Emmy Kaiser was just selected by Team USA as a representative for the upcoming 2021 Paralympics in August. Kaiser played in Mary Free Bed’s tournament back in 2019.

This year’s tournament also includes many other great stories from its athletes. Kevin Green will be traveling from St. Louis, and is a regular visitor of this tournament, winning his division several times over the years. Xander Frost has been a longtime participant of Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports programs. He will be competing in the tournament’s under 18 junior division as well as trying out for his high school’s able-bodied tennis team next Fall.

Special events within the tournament include a special “Up/Down” session, where wheelchair athletes will play social with able-bodied athletes, Thursday from 5:30-8 p.m. On Friday, there will be a kid’s wheelchair tennis clinic for younger kids to get introduced to the sport.