a. The Two Bounce Rule
The wheelchair tennis player is allowed two bounces of the ball. The player must return the ball before it bounces a third time. The second bounce can be either in or out of the court boundaries.
b. The Wheelchair
The wheelchair is considered part of the body and all applicable rules, which apply to a player’s body, shall apply to the wheelchair.
c. The Service
The service shall be delivered in the following manner:
i. Immediately before commencing the service, the server shall be in a stationary position. The server shall then be allowed one push before striking the ball.
ii. The server shall throughout the delivery of the service not touch with any wheel, any area other than that behind the baseline within the imaginary extension of the centre mark
and sideline.
iii. If conventional methods for the service are physically impossible for a quad player, then the player or another individual may drop the ball for such a player and allow it to bounce before it is struck. If this is the case, the same method of serving must be used for the entire match.
d. Player Loses Point A player loses a point if:
i. The player fails to return the ball before it has bounced three times; or
ii. Subject to rule below the player uses any part of his/her feet or lower extremities against the ground or against any wheel while delivering service, striking a ball, turning or stopping while the ball is in play; or
iii. The player fails to keep one buttock in contact with his/her wheelchair seat when contacting the ball.
e. Wheelchairs used in all competitions played under the Rules of Wheelchair Tennis must comply with the following specifications:
i. The wheelchair may be constructed of any material provided that such material is non- reflective and does not constitute a hindrance to the opponent.
ii. Wheels may have a single push rim only. No changes to the wheelchair that afford the player a mechanical advantage are permitted, such as levers or gears. During normal play, wheels shall not leave permanent marks on, or otherwise damage, the court surface.
iii. Subject to Rule e(v), players shall use only the wheels (including push rims) to propel the wheelchair. No steering, braking or gearing or other device that may assist operation of the wheelchair, including energy storage systems, is permitted.
iv. The height of the seat (including cushion) shall be fixed and players’ buttocks shall remain in contact with the seat during the playing of a point. Strapping may be used to secure the player to the wheelchair.
v. Players may use a wheelchair powered by electric motor(s) (a “powered wheelchair”). Powered wheelchairs must not be able to exceed 15 km/h in any direction and shall be
controlled by the player only.
f. Propelling the Chair with the Foot
i. If due to lack of capacity a player is unable to propel the wheelchair via the wheel then he may propel the wheelchair using one foot.
ii. Even if in accordance with rule e)
i. above a player is permitted to propel the chair using one foot, no part of the player's foot may be in contact with the ground:
a) during the forward motion of the swing, including when the racket strikes the ball;
b) From the initiation of the service motion until the racket strikes the ball.
iii. A player in breach of this rule shall lose the point. Time Limit Repairs, Broken Equipment, Taping of Racket (quad players) The Chair Umpire, Off-Court Umpire or Referee has the authority to determine suspension of play. Wheelchair repairs must not exceed twenty (20) minutes in total during one (1) match. This is regardless of the number of breakdowns. Doubles repairs must not exceed twenty (20) minutes per team. Delays beyond fifteen (15) minutes shall subject a player to a Code violation under 'Delay of Game', delays beyond twenty (20) minutes will result in a default.
Medical Time Out and Code violations
As mentioned in ITF rules and regulations prevail.
Toilet/Change or Attire Breaks
Two (2) toilet/change of attire breaks are permitted during a singles or doubles match. Toilet Breaks should be taken preferably at the set break and can be used for no other purpose. Change of attire breaks must be taken on a set break. Each break may be for a reasonable time. The player must receive permission from the Chair Umpire, if there is one, or from his/her opponent, who cannot reasonably refuse the request. Additional breaks may only be permitted by the Chair Umpire, Off Court Umpire or Referee. If a player takes a third break without permission, they may be charged with “leaving the court without permission” under the Code of Conduct. Court Protection
Prevention of damage to the courts is at the discretion of the Referee. The following items could create damage to the courts and should be inspected.
i. Foot rests
ii. Front Casters
iii. Rear Anti-tip Tubes
iv. Rear Tyres
Players are also required to have non-marking tyres that do not damage the court surface. A reasonable amount of time will be given to correct the violation(s). This will be determined by the Referee. Failure to do so will be grounds for default Eligibility
In order to be eligible to compete in AITA Wheelchair Tournaments, the Player must have an Eligible Impairment.
Physical Impairment is Impaired Muscle Power, Impaired Passive Range of Movement, Hypertonia, Ataxia, or Athetosis.
He/she must be above 15th years of age to play in the AITA wheelchair tournaments.
A player has to get registered with AITA. The registration fees will be as follows:
• ₹3,010 (₹2,500 + 18% GST + ₹60 Convenience fees) for Two years.
• ₹1,535 (₹1,250 + 18% GST + ₹60 Convenience fees) for One year.
Registration will be done through online mode on our website www.aitatennis.com
No player will be allowed to play AITA tournaments without valid AITA registration number.
A tournament can start any day of the week and will be a minimum of four days.
Singles: All players accepted into the Main/ Qualifying Draw must sign-in personally or by phone with the Referee.
Doubles: All doubles teams must sign in in-person with the Referee by 12pm (12:00 hours) on the day singles main draw matches start.
14 Days (Monday) before the tournament week.
07 Days (Monday) before the tournament week.
Singles matches from Qualifying best of 17 games deuce two points. Main draw singles matches best of 17 games deuce two points upto Quarterfinals Semi Finals and Finals, Two full sets, at one set all a ten (10) point match Tie breaker shall be played.
Doubles Best of 17 games till quarter finals deuce one point. Semi Finals and Finals, Two full sets deuce one point, at one set all a ten (10) point match Tie breaker shall be played.
Except when weather or other unavoidable circumstances causes schedule disruption, players shall be scheduled for a maximum of one (1) main draw singles match and one (1) main draw doubles match per day, which shall not be scheduled less than twelve (12) hours after the completion of the last match of such player on the preceding day or round. Whenever it is necessary to schedule more than one match in the same day such player shall, unless he/she is in a singles and doubles final to be played consecutively, be given the following minimum rest periods:
a) Played less than one (1) hour -half (½) hour rest
b) Played between one (1) hour and one and one half (1½) hours -one (1) hour rest
c) Played between one and one half (1½) hours and two (2) hours -one and one half (1½) hours rest
d) Played more than two (2) hours –two (2) hours rest
If play has been interrupted for thirty (30) minutes or more due to rain or other warranted delay, the length of match time would be assessed from the moment play resumes following the delay. If play is interrupted for less than thirty (30) minutes, match time would be considered continuous from the moment the first ball of the match was put into play.
Facilities on Site Adequate accessible changing rooms and shower facilities shall be available on site. If there are insufficient permanent accessible toilets for use during matches, clean, hygienic accessible portable toilets may be made available but only in conjunction with hand washing facilities. All toilets must be cleaned and checked regularly.
There must be a secure place for players to store their tennis wheelchairs overnight (at player’s own responsibility).
It is required to have a repair station on site and an air compressor available at all times. Players should travel with a hand pump, basic tool kit and spare parts
It is recommended to have ball boys/girls during matches. Ball boys and girls should be trained before they are permitted on court
There must be facilities accessible to players to purchase food (e.g. café or restaurant)
Shall be offered from the official accommodation to the tournament site on a regular basis during match days and from the day before matches start.
On Site There shall be a tournament desk on site that shall be staffed at all times by someone with a good knowledge of English.
The AITA Wheelchair will be divided into the prize money levels as listed below during 2023. Any tournaments will be referring to either a Men or Women tournament in the respective prize money category. Combined tournaments can happen in any combination of the below mentioned prize money, where in the total prize money for the tournament will be ascertained by adding the respective
Below is the prize money break down for both Men and Women Tournaments.
50000 100000 250000 500000 750000
Singles (75%) 37500 75000 187500 375000 562500
Doubles (25%) 12500 25000 62500 125000 187500
SINGLES
Winner 6250 12500 31250 62500 93750
Runner up 4200 8400 21000 42000 63000
Semi final 2375 4750 11875 23750 35625
Quarter Finals 1425 2850 7125 14250 21375
2nd Round 875 1750 4375 8750 13125
Round of 32 600 1200 3000 6000 9000
Doubles
Winner 3100 6200 15500 31000 46500
Runner up 1900 3800 9500 19000 28500
Semi final 1900 1900 4750 9500 14250
Quarter Finals 2400 1200 3000 6000 9000
Round of 16 3200 800 2000 4000 6000
Distribution of Points according to Prize Money
Singles (M/W) 50000 100000 250000 500000 750000
Winner 15 20 40 75 100
Runner up 8 15 25 45 60
Semi final 5 8 15 25 35
Quarter Finals 3 4 7 14 20
2nd Round 2 3 4 7 10
Round of 32 1 1 2 2 4
Doubles (M/W) 50000 100000 250000 500000 750000
Winner 10 15 30 50 75
Runner up 7 10 20 40 50
Semi final 4 7 14 25 35
Quarter Finals 2 3 6 10 15
Round of 16 1 1 2 2 4
An ITF White Badge Official would be mandatory to supervise all the tournaments having a total combined prize money of more than 1Lakhs. The name of the referee will be decided by AITA and added to the Fact Sheet.
For tournaments having total combined prize money of 1 Lakhs will appoint an experienced referee and it will be the responsibility of the Tournament Director to announce the name and contact number of the Tournament Referee in the Fact Sheet
The points, rules and regulations which are not covered in above-stated guidelines, the ITF rules and regulations for Wheelchair will prevail.