Peter Norfolk

Peter Robert Norfolk OBE (born 13 December 1960) is a British wheelchair tennis player. Following a motorbike accident which left him paraplegic, he uses a wheelchair. He took up tennis and following a further spinal complication in 2000 he began competing in the quad division. He is nicknamed The Quadfather.

Peter Norfolk
Peter Norfolk at the 2011 US Open.
Country (sports) Great Britain
ResidenceAlton, Hampshire
Born (1960-12-13) 13 December 1960
London
Turned pro1991
Official websiteOfficial website
Singles
Career record256–38
Highest rankingNo.1 (29 September 2003)
Current rankingNo.3
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian OpenW (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
US OpenW (2007, 2009)
Other tournaments
MastersW (2006, 2009, 2010)
Paralympic Games Gold Medal (2004, 2008)
Doubles
Career record127–55
Highest rankingNo.1 (12 September 2011)
Current rankingNo.1
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian OpenW (2011,2012)
French OpenW (2012)
US OpenF (2007, 2009, 2010)
Masters DoublesW (2003, 2004, 2010)
Paralympic Games Silver Medal (2004, 2012)
World Team Cup Champion (2001, 2002, 2009)

He has multiple Grand Slam and Super Series titles, and competed for Great Britain at the Summer Paralympics when tennis made its first appearance at Athens 2004. He won the gold medal in the singles, and defended it at Beijing as well as adding a bronze medal in the doubles. He competed in his third Paralympics in 2012 in London, where he was also the flagbearer for Great Britain at the opening ceremony.

Early life

Norfolk was born in London on 13 December 1960.[1][2] Norfolk suffered a motorbike accident in 1979 at the age of 19, and was left paraplegic.[3] He was hospitalised for over a year, and the disability resulted in him requiring a wheelchair.[1] There was a further complication in 2000,[1] damage was caused to cervical spinal nerve 7 resulted in Norfolk additionally losing strength in his right arm and shoulder.[2]

Tennis career

Norfolk became a wheelchair tennis player at the age of 30, having seen a demonstration at Stoke Mandeville.[2] He competes in the quad division. This means he competes against other players with a disability in at least three limbs. He plays with a tennis racket taped to his hand,[3] and competes in the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour.[4]

He was the first person ever to win a Paralympic medal for Britain in tennis when he took gold in the quads singles at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, defeating David Wagner of the United States.[3] It had been the first occasion where a tennis event had been included in a Paralympic programme.[1] He also won a silver medal with Mark Eccleston in the quad doubles event.[5] Following his victories, in 2005 he was invited to perform the coin toss ahead of the men's singles final at Wimbledon.[3]

He represented Great Britain again at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, winning gold in the singles event[6] and bronze in doubles with Jamie Burdekin.[7] He sees the defeat in the semi final as the biggest disappointment in his tennis career.[1]

In the 2010 season, he missed out on finishing overall as world number one by eight ranking points, despite winning the end of season Wheelchair Masters tournament. He beat Wagner 6–3, 7–6 (7–4), but his opponent ended the season one place above him in the rankings.[8] Wagner beat him at the 2011 Australian Open, marking the first occasion Norfolk had been defeated in an Australian Open final, having previously defeated Wagner in on four occasions in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2010.[9] It did however mark the first occasion that Norfolk had won a doubles tournament in Australia, partnered with Andrew Lapthorne.[9]

He regained the Australian Open title in 2012, beating Wagner in the final and becoming world number one once more. It marked his fifth victory at the grand slam tournament. He was also victorious once more in the doubles, teaming with Lapthorne again to defeat Wagner and his partner Noam Gershony.[10]

He carried the torch in Liverpool during the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay. He was the winner of both the singles and the doubles events in the pre-Paralympic test event at Eton Manor in May 2012.[11] On 19 June 2012 was named once more to the British squad for the Paralympics, to compete at London 2012. He is one of three men's quad division tennis players, alongside Burdekin and Lapthorne.[12] He admitted that the Games placed a great deal of pressure on his performance saying, "This year is about the Paralympics and everyone is expecting me to win, so it will be my year to see where I'm at."[13] In the event, he did not win a medal in the singles, losing his quarter-final match to Shraga Weinberg, but won silver in the doubles, again partnered with Andrew Lapthorne.

Norfolk has multiple Super Series titles.[3] He has finished the year as world number one on five occasions, and won the Team World Cup three times.[4] He has a rivalry with Wagner, with the two swapping the number one and number two ranked positions in the quad division on a regular basis.[1] Norfolk was awarded the Carl Aarvold Award for International Achievement by the Lawn Tennis Association in 2012.[14] Norfolk was voted to carry the British flag at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games in London.[15]

Personal life

In 1989, Peter founded a company called Equipment for the Physically Challenged, which specialises in mobility equipment for physically challenged disabled people. He is married to a sports physiotherapist named Linda, and has two children. He was named an MBE in 2005, and an OBE in 2009.[2] He uses tennis rackets from Prince Sports, and his sports wheelchair is by Quickie Matchpoint.[2]

Grand Slam titles
Singles
Doubles
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References
General
  • "Peter Norfolk OBE". Paralympics UK. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  • "Peter Norfolk". ITF Tennis. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
Specific
  1. "Peter Norfolk". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  2. "Peter Norfolk". The Tennis Foundation. Archived from the original on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  3. "Paralympic challengers: Peter Norfolk". BBC Sport. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  4. "Peter Norfolk". Sport England. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  5. "Peter Norfolk". London 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  6. "Wheelchair Tennis Day 7 Review: Defending champions prevail". The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. 14 September 2008. Archived from the original on 23 September 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  7. "Wheelchair Tennis Day 6 Review: Second Quad Doubles event in Paralympic history draws to a close". The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. 14 September 2008. Archived from the original on 23 September 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  8. "Norfolk wins Wheelchair Masters, Vergeer reaches 400". BBC Sport. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  9. "Britain's Peter Norfolk beaten in Australian Open final". BBC Sport. 29 January 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  10. "Australian Open: Peter Norfolk wins quad singles title". BBC Sport. 28 January 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  11. Hudson, Elizabeth (6 May 2012). "Peter Norfolk and Esther Vergeer win in Eton Manor test event". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  12. Davies, Gareth A (19 June 2012). "London 2012 Paralympics: 'Quadfather' Peter Norfolk heads ParalympicsGB wheelchair tennis team". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  13. "Paralympian Peter Norfolk feels London 2012 pressure". BBC Sport. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  14. "Peter Norfolk presented with Carl Aarvold Award for International Achievement". Lawn Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  15. "Paralympics 2012: Peter Norfolk to carry GB flag at opening ceremony". BBC Sport. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
Preceded by
First Award
David Wagner
David Wagner		 Year End Number 1 - Quad Singles
2003–2004
2006
2008–2009		 Succeeded by
David Wagner
David Wagner
David Wagner
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