05 January 2012
Australian Open 2012: Peter Norfolk, the British tennis player who knows how to win in Melbourne
The man known as ‘The Quadfather’, who is the holder of 13 Masters wheelchair titles and four Australian Opens, has been confined to a wheelchair since a motorbike accident left him quadriplegic at the age of 19.
This month he will try to regain the Australian Open title he lost to David Wagner of the United States 12 months ago. Wagner, Norfolk’s greatest rival, has beaten the British player in the last three grand slam finals – the US Open in 2010, and the Australian and US Open events last year, and is the world No1, but Norfolk still leads their career head-to-head meetings 30-27.
Norfolk, 51, from Hampshire, became the first British athlete to win a Paralympic medal in tennis when he took gold in the singles at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. He retained his title in Beijing four years later.
He will pick up his racket – he gets through a role of tape per match as he has to strap his right hand and wrist, over which he has no muscle control, to the handle – this week in Sydney, where he is competing, before heading to Melbourne, where the wheelchair Open starts in the last week of January.
“The Aussie Open is a real favourite of mine. The weather is good, they look after you so well, it’s a great place. I like the buzz. Get off to a flier there, and it’s always a good start to the year. From there it is on to Miami, then Pensacola. After that Japan and Korea. There’s a lot to do this year.”
Article: Gareth A Davies