The past two weeks we celebrated one of the greatest moments in our tennis academy. Resilience, hard work, pain, and satisfaction rose on the Emilio Sanchez Barcelona tennis courts where the 2023 NEC Wheelchair ITF Masters and ITF1 Wheelchair Catalonia Open were held. With two weeks full of life, sensations, and emotions all the assistants had the opportunity to attend a tennis tournament, participate in a wheelchair clinic, sit at a conference with a guest speaker, and witness a dinner of awards.
Diversity and integration are celebrated in today’s tennis as part of the sport, tennis is not a stop for anyone, and which better example than from Daniel Caverzaschi (ES Athlete) who stated “I am what I am because of my own personal history, because of how my parents raised me, always from a normal perspective, without complaints, because being in a wheelchair is not the end, for me it was the beginning of everything” Another athlete Niels Vink, current number 1 in the world in the quad modality, commented that “Sometimes you have to explain to people what you are like and the ability you have to do things, because they simply think that you can’t do them, but I am capable of it.”
The event NEC Wheelchair Masters proclaimed Alfie Hewett as the champion making this his third ITF alongside 57 other titles throughout his tennis career. In the women’s draw Diede de Groot took the trophy making this one her 82nd title in her career and her sixth ITF Master. Along with her achievements, she has 20 Grand Slams and a silver medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games.
In the Quad test, Niels Vink has been crowned for the second consecutive week in Barcelona and in the Doubles Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid were crowned champions of the men’s draw and in the women’s event, the Japanese Yui Kamiji and the South African Kgothatso Montjane were proclaimed champions after a well disputed final.
One of the best days for this wonderful event is when the inclusion came to our student-athlete’s minds by having the opportunity to participate in the wheelchair clinic. This clinic allowed them to discover the magic of the sport behind a chair. Together with the Emilio Sanchez Vicario Foundation, the clinic had the pleasure to see the participation of ES Athlete Daniel Caverzaschi, ES Athlete WTA player Fernanda Contreras, the CEO himself Emilio Sánchez Vicario, and students of the Emilio Sánchez Academy & American School. This experience made the students empathize with the difficulties of wheelchair tennis and created an atmosphere of learning and growth.
A dinner gala was celebrated to recognize the Emilio Sanchez Academy Barcelona, its facilities, and the CEO Emilio Sanchez alongside ITF, FCAT (its president Jordi Tamayo), and el Prat Council.
During the last two weeks, our tennis academy had a unique experience that made our student-athletes understand why sport is so important and that, even in the difficulties when it comes to goals and objectives, they have to go for it appreciating all the moments and the opportunities they have.
By the ES Barcelona team,
