To mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities for 2023 West Ham United players Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal tried out wheelchair tennis with 16-time Grand Slam champion Andy Lapthone and lifelong Hammers fan Jade Mills on the court at the Lee Valley Tennis Centre.
“It took me a while to get good movement in the wheelchair and then I remembered I had to hit the ball as well!," said Soucek, a keen tennis player, told West Ham's official website. "It was a great experience.”
Coufal added: “I have to give big respect to Andy and anyone else who does, because it’s so difficult and I don’t know how they do it. The movement is hard enough and then you have to play tennis too.”
The annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly and seeks to promote the rights and wellbeing of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
