26 October 2009
Britain's two-time Paralympic quad singles tennis champion Peter Norfolk received his OBE from Her Majesty the Queen earlier this week at Buckingham Palace.
Norfolk, from Alton, Hampshire, who was originally made an MBE in the Queen's 2005 Birthday Honours List, was upgraded to an OBE in Her Majesty's 2009 Birthday Honours List announced in June in recognition of services to disability sport.
The year-end world No 1 ranked quad singles player for four of the last six seasons, Norfolk won his second successive Paralympic quad singles gold medal last September in Beijing as he enhanced his position as Britain's most successful ever wheelchair tennis player. As well as winning gold in the quad singles in Beijing, Norfolk also won bronze in the quad doubles to add to the quad doubles silver he won in Athens.
This season has proved to be another highly successful one for Norfolk, who has won four individual titles so far, including Grand Slam quad singles titles at the Australian Open in Melbourne and the US Open in New York. He also remained unbeaten and hit the decisive winning shot as Great Britain won a third quad title in the Invacare World Team Cup, the Davis and Fed Cups of wheelchair tennis, in Nottingham, in early August.
It is always an honour to represent your country and to play this wonderful sport," said Norfolk. "I received my MBE from the Prince of Wales in 2005 and a lovely day was made all the more special by having the OBE presented by the Queen. This type of recognition is great for our sport and hopefully we can inspire more people to take up wheelchair tennis.
Current world No 2 quad singles player Norfolk is set to return to Nottingham next week as he bids to win his fourth Nottingham Indoor title at Britain's final world ranking event on the 2009 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour. Thereafter, Norfolk is due to complete his season at the Camozzi Doubles Masters in Italy and the NEC Singles Masters in the Netherlands, the year-end highlights on the NEC Tour. A second Singles Masters title for Norfolk next month could still secure him the year-end world No 1 quad singles ranking for the fifth time in seven seasons.
When not training or competing, Norfolk is Sales Manager for and a partner in EPC - Equipment for the Physically Challenged, the Farnborough-based mobility company he founded in 1989. Through his day-to-day contact with fellow wheelchair users he has encouraged many people to take up wheelchair sport, run wheelchair repair stations at numerous national and international tournaments around Britain and is a regular visitor to wheelchair tennis camps organised by the Tennis Foundation to offer advice and support to new players.
By Marshall Thomas
Photo Press Association/Tennis Foundation