By Prince Jacon
When talking about tennis players, you’ll most likely focus only on the non-disabled stars, forgetting that there are awesome players with disabilities in the game. One of them is South Africa’s Evans Maripa who was born with congenital amputation but has risen to the top as the number one men’s wheelchair tennis player in the country.
Maripa’s career kicked off properly when he turned pro in 2006. Within 11 years, he has established himself as the most outstanding wheelchair tennis player of his generation by becoming the first man from Africa to be ranked in the world’s top 12. His first Olympic experience was in 2012 in London – and, although he didn’t make it beyond the second round, being part of that event assured him that he could do well in the game.
So far, he’s taken part in over 17 international events like the French Riviera Open, Sardinia Open, German Open and Bath Indoor Tournament. Just this year, the 27-year-old has won two titles in Israel and another two in his home country. He’s also the current Polish Open doubles champion.
In recognition of Maripa’s excellence in wheelchair tennis, he was recently crowned Sportsman with a Disability of the Year at the Gauteng Sports Awards ceremony in South Africa.
Source: www.konbini.com
