On Thursday 20 February, Dr Anna Fitzpatrick and Dr Thomas Rietveld visited Bolton to attend the Indoor ITF2 Wheelchair Tennis Tournament and continue conversations with Alex Cockram and Erik-Jan Koers on future collaborations between The Peter Harrison Laboratory and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
Commenting on the visit and recent activities with the LTA, Dr Thomas Rietveld said:
“Getting the buy-in from coaches, players and support staff is crucial for a successful partnership. Discussing future research opportunities alongside watching some high-quality wheelchair tennis matches is a perfect combination.” (Dr Thomas Rietveld)
One such research opportunity is a fully-funded PhD supported by Dr Anna Fitzpatrick, Dr Thomas O'Brien , and Professor Vicky Tolfrey titled:
‘Quantifying the physical and tactical demands of wheelchair tennis on different court surfaces’
Working directly with the LTA, this project will seek to compare the physical and tactical demands of wheelchair tennis on different court surfaces (hard, clay and grass). British wheelchair tennis players will be tracked longitudinally, for 2 years. Physical and tactical match analysis and physiological testing will be conducted in a combined lab- and field-based approach.
Live details of the PhD can be found here (please note this opportunity closes on 14 March 2025)
For more information, please do get in touch via email: a.fitzpatrick@lboro.ac.uk