News

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The United States Tennis Association (USTA) today announced that the U.S. Quad Doubles Wheelchair Tennis Team of David Wagner and Nick Taylor has been selected by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) as the 2011-2012 Paralympic Team of the Year following their third consecutive Quad Doubles gold medal at the 2012 Paralympics Games in London. Wagner and Taylor are the first Quad tennis players, singles or doubles, to be recognized by the USOC for this prestigious honor, since the USOC first established the award for Paralympians in 2009. They are also the first tennis players to receive this honor since Jennifer Capriati won the USOC SportsWoman of the Year award in 2001.

This week, Wagner and Taylor will be honored at the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Assembly dinner alongside Olympians Allyson Felix (Track & Field), Michael Phelps (Swimming), the U.S. Women’s Eight Rowing Team, and Paralympians Raymond Martin (Track & Field), and Jessica Long (Swimming).

“I am truly honored to be selected for this award,” said Taylor. “With all the exceptional teams that could have been chosen, it’s exciting to be recognized for our long time dedication and commitment to the sport. This is a great honor not just for David and me, but for American wheelchair tennis.”

“I’m so honored to receive this award,” said Wagner. “We have worked so hard to be the best team we can be, and are pleased to represent the United States of America. I’m truly proud to win this award with Nick. It is great for the sport of wheelchair tennis to be recognized in this way by the USOC.”

As one of the most successful doubles wheelchair tennis teams, the U.S. Quads duo are coming off a successful run at the 2012 Games, defeating British Quad Doubles Team of Peter Norfolk and Andy Lapthorne 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. Wagner and Taylor have won the gold medal in each Paralympic Quad Doubles division since the 2004 Games in Athens. Both players finished the London Games winning medals in Quad Singles, with Wagner winning silver and Taylor taking home the bronze in his first medal performance in Quad Singles.

“David Wagner and Nick Taylor have been the foundation of American wheelchair tennis for years,” said Dan James, U.S. Paralympic Tennis Coach and USTA National Manager, Wheelchair Tennis. “Being named the Paralympic Team of the Year is an honor well deserved and solidifies their legacy in Paralympic history.”

Last year, Wagner, originally from Portland, Ore., and Taylor, from Wichita, Kan., led the U.S. to the World Team Cup Championship, landing them their seventh World Team Cup title as doubles partners. That summer, they captured their seventh Grand Slam title at the 2011 US Open. Earlier this year, they finished third at the 2012 World Team Cup Championships.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 785,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Emirates Airline US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S, and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA philanthropic entity, USTA Serves, provides grants and scholarships and helps underserved youth and people with disabilities. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com, “like” the official Facebook page facebook.com/usta or follow @usta on Twitter.