Wheelchair Tennis Earns Singles, Team National Titles

The University of Alabama wheelchair tennis team won the national championship Sunday, defeating Auburn University 2-0. UA freshman Francesco Felici earned the singles national championship and was named Rookie of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the sport’s governing body.

This win brings the wheelchair tennis team’s total championships to nine and the 23rd for the Adapted Athletics program overall. This year’s team is Max Barbier, Francesco Felici and Martha Harris.

“We are clearly a talented team, but the work ethic, mindset and coachability of our players played a huge role in the success we had,” said Coach Tyler McKay, now in his second year at UA. “Season highlights include going 4-0 in two events, on the road in Michigan and at home in Tuscaloosa, and freshman Francesco Felici winning the national singles title.”

Success as a Team

Having such a successful start to his college career with this team is an experience Italy native Felici hopes to carry into next season.

“As a freshman coming from another country, I couldn’t have imagined a better first year. Finishing my first season as national champions in singles and as a team is something I’ll never forget,” he said.

“Going undefeated this season felt surreal, and it’s the result of the hard work, commitment and support we gave each other every single day. We pushed each other to improve and celebrated every win together, big or small.”

Teamwork really was the difference maker this year.

“I’ve had great fun being part of the team this year. We’ve worked hard and it’s amazing that we’ve gone undefeated all season and pulled off winning the national championship,” Harris said. “When we managed to win the first three tight games in the final doubles, I think it gave us some confidence and from then on, there was no stopping us.”