The LTA has named a team of five players, including 2019 medallists Esah Hayat, Wiltshire’s Lewis Fletcher and Phoebe Suthers, to represent Great Britain at the 3rd World Deaf Tennis Championships, which takes place in Hersonisos, Crete from 23- 29 September. The full team is:
· Esah Hayat, (London)
· Lewis Fletcher (Wiltshire)
· Phoebe Suthers (Yorkshire)
· Charlie Denton ( Gloucestershire)
· Ethan Carter (Hampshire)
Great Britain National Coach: Catherine Fletcher (Wiltshire)
Great Britain Team Manager: Sophie Hall
Great Britain is one of more than 20 countries contesting this year’s World Championships, with Hayat, Denton, Carter and Suthers contesting the men’s and women’s singles events from Saturday.
Lewis Fletcher will partner Hayat in the men’s doubles and partner Suthers in the mixed doubles after teaming up with the same respective partners to win men’s doubles and mixed doubles silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Antalya, Turkey, where the three players won a total of five medals between them.
Great Britain hosted the 1st World Deaf Tennis Championships in Nottingham in 2015, where Hayat and Suthers won gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the junior boys’ singles and girls’ singles before earning silver and bronze medals in the same events four years ago in Turkey, where they also paired up to win the gold medal in the junior mixed doubles.
As well as lining up in the men’s singles and men’s doubles, Carter and Denton will contest the World Deaf Youth Tennis Championships from Monday (25th September). Denton returned from the 3rd Deaf Youth Tennis Cup in Germany last year with a gold medal in the doubles and bronze medal in the singles and recently won his fourth LTA Deaf National Finals junior singles title.
The LTA’s Disability Competitions Manager Sophie Hall, Great Britain Team Manager for the 2023 World Deaf Tennis Championships, said:
“Great Britain’s deaf tennis players have a long history of medal success at Deaflympic, World and European level and while the pandemic has limited the opportunities to contest major championships since 2019, this year started with Phoebe and Esah putting in some great performances at the Australian Open. Phoebe was runner-up in the women’s singles and doubles at the first deaf tennis tournament to take place alongside a Grand Slam. The strength and depth in deaf tennis continues to rise globally and we’re very excited to be back in world championship competition and hopefully challenging for medals at senior and youth level.”