Welcome to monthly amateurs mail of Tennis Canada. This month, Rob Shaw, 8e Mondial in the Quad category, talks about several aspects of wheelchair tennis, its favorite tournament, and entrusts us with some details on itself that could surprise amateurs.
Do you have a ritual or a pre-match routine ?
I have never been very superstitious with regard to my pre-match ritual. When I started my career, I certainly had a set of activities to do before a match, but I quickly learned that tennis games can be very unpredictable, unless you play the first match of the day. So I had to show more flexibility and adaptability in my routines and rituals in order to be ready at any time.
In general, I like to listen to music and visualize my blows.
How is it to play in a wheelchair on natural surfaces like the lawn and the clay ?
Playing in a wheelchair on natural surfaces like clay and lawn can be a real challenge. If the clay courts are of good quality, it’s really nice, because you can slide as the players stand. On the other hand, if the clay is really soft or if the upper layer is thick, move maybe very difficult.
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The lawn, whatever its quality, is really difficult and it is by far the surface that I prefer the least. I had the opportunity to participate in Wimbledon once in my career, and, despite prestige and notoriety, I did not really like this surface.
What tournament do you want to win the most ?
I am lucky to have already won the tournament I have always coveted: the Birmingham Championshipsmore important tournament in Canada. This is the first tournament in which I participated in a wheelchair and it took me more than five years before winning the title.
Who is the player (past or present) with whom you would like to team up in doubles ?
During my career, I had the opportunity to play with a large number of extraordinary double partners. The only player with whom I never had the opportunity to team up is Sarah Hunter. Unfortunately, she ended her career when mine was just starting, but I think that, if our careers had overlapped, we would have played for Paralympic medals and Tournament Tournament Tournaments.
If you were not a professional athlete, what would you do ?
Few people know it, but I’m not just a professional tennis player. I finished my doctorate in health and exercise sciences a few years ago, and I now have part -time employment in a non -profit organization for people with a handicap called SCIBC. I lead a team of people across the country in order to improve the provision of peer support services for people with spinal cord injury and related handicaps.
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I like this double identity very much and I find that taking care of my mind outside the court was beneficial for my career in tennis.
What advice would you give to someone in a wheelchair who would like faire you sports ?
Each time that‘A new athlete or a newly disabled person comes to talk to me, I always encourage him to try as much sports as possible. Tennis is not for everyone and there are so many other extraordinary adapted sports.
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Obviously I would like everyone to want to play tennis, but I think that‘It is much more important that people practice a sport or an activity, what that‘He’s.
Photo Vedette: Tennis Canada
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