Headercolor: | green |
Textcolor: | yellow |
Ben Weekes | |
Nationality: | Australian |
Birth Date: | 20 September 1984 |
Sport: | Wheelchair tennis |
Australianopenresult: | QF (2022) |
Ben Weekes (born 20 September 1984) is an Australian wheelchair tennis player. He has been selected for the 2024 Paris Paralympics, his sixth Games.[1]
Weekes was born on 20 September 1984 in Strathfield, New South Wales. He has an identical twin brother, and two other brothers. He is an incomplete paraplegic as a result of a blood clot forming in his spine when he was thirteen years old. He is a composer and pianist, having received formal training in this area.[2] His music has been recorded and he has played at the BarMe Cabaret Bar, Angel Place and the Sydney Opera House.[2]
Other sports he participates in are swimming and basketball.
Weekes is a wheelchair tennis player.[3] [4] When playing, he follows the same rules as his non-disabled counterparts except the ball is allowed to bounce twice. He became interested in the sport after watching David Hall play it at the 2000 Summer Paralympics,[3] [2] and would go on to practice regularly with Hall, until Hall retired from the sport in 2006.[2] He has been coached by Kathy Fahim.[2]
Weekes first represented Australia in 2002.[3] That year, he competed in the Junior World Cup where he finished second.[3] At the 2004 World Cup, his team finished second.[3] He competed at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. He won his first-round match,[3] and was knocked out in the second round.[3]
Weekes competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, playing doubles with Michael Dobbie.[3] [4] Going into the 2008 Games, he practised twice a day on court, six times a week.[2] In 2008, Weekes played some doubles matches with Adam Kellerman.
At the 2011 South African Open, he made the finals.[3] At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, he made the second round of the men's singles and he teamed with Adam Kellerman in the men's doubles. They lost in the first round.[5] [6] [7] [8] In the doubles event, he is due to be partnered by Adam Kellerman.[9] [8]
At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Weekes lost to Stefan Olsson (SWE) 0-2 (0–6, 3–6) in the round of 32 in the Men's Singles and with Adam Kellerman lost in the round of 16 in the Men's Doubles.[10]
At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Weekes lost in the Round of 32 in the Men's Singles and Doubles.