Ben Weekes (born 20 September 1984) is an Australian

wheelchair tennis Wheelchair tennis is one of the forms of tennis adapted for wheelchair users. The size of the court, net height and rackets are the same, but there are two major differences from pedestrian tennis: athletes use specially designed wheelchairs, a ...

player. He represented Australia at the

2020 Tokyo Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralympic ...

, his fifth Games.

Personal

Weekes was born on 20 September 1984 in Strathfield, New South Wales. He has an identical twin brother, and two other brothers. He is an incomplete paraplegic as a result of a blood clot forming in his spine when he was thirteen years old. He is a composer and pianist, having received formal training in this area. His music has been recorded and he has played at the BarMe Cabaret Bar, Angel Place and the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

. Other sports he participates in are swimming and basketball.

Tennis

Weekes is a

player. When playing, he follows the same rules as his non-disabled counterparts except the ball is allowed to bounce twice. He became interested in the sport after watching David Hall play it at the

2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was last time that the Summer Paralympics which were organized by two different ...

, and would go on to practice regularly with Hall, until Hall retired from the sport in 2006. He has been coached by Kathy Fahim. Weekes first represented Australia in 2002. That year, he competed in the Junior World Cup where he finished second. At the 2004 World Cup, his team finished second. He competed at the

2004 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 136 , athletes = 3,806 , events = 519 in 19 sports , opening = 17 September , closing = 28 September , opened_by = President Costis Stephanopoulos , cauldron = Georgios Toptsis , stadium = Olympic ...

in Athens. He won his first-round match, and was knocked out in the second round. Weekes competed at the

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...

, playing doubles with

Michael Dobbie Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

. Going into the 2008 Games, he practised twice a day on court, six times a week. In 2008, Weekes played some doubles matches with Adam Kellerman. At the 2011 South African Open, he made the finals. At the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

, he made the second round of the men's singles and he teamed with Adam Kellerman in the men's doubles. They lost in the first round. In the doubles event, he is due to be partnered by Adam Kellerman. At the

2016 Rio Paralympics ) , nations = 159 , athletes = 4,342 , opening = 7 September , closing = 18 September , opened_by = President Michel Temer , cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva , events = 528 in 22 sports , stadium = Maracanã , sum ...

, Weekes lost to Stefan Olsson (SWE) 0-2 (0-6, 3–6) in the round of 32 in the Men's Singles and with Adam Kellerman lost in the round of 16 in the Men's Doubles. At the

, Weekes lost in the Round of 32 in the Men's Singles and Doubles.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:WeekEs, Ben 1984 births Living people Australian male tennis players Australian wheelchair tennis players Paralympic wheelchair tennis players for Australia Wheelchair tennis players at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Wheelchair tennis players at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Wheelchair tennis players at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Wheelchair tennis players at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Wheelchair tennis players at the 2020 Summer Paralympics People with paraplegia Tennis players from New South Wales 21st-century Australian people Sportsmen from New South Wales