Robert Shaw

Started: He began playing tennis as a child and played competitively until age 15. He took up wheelchair tennis after his accident. (ontennis.ca, 01 Sep 2019; paralympic.ca, 23 Aug 2019) Reason: He coached wheelchair tennis before his accident. "I had a bit of experience with the game before my injury and once I got injured, I think I had both that experience of being a tennis athlete and having the experience of being a coach of some wheelchair tennis, so I knew I would be able to play again. I saw some of the best players in the world play in the quad division, and I thought to myself, 'Okay, if I put some training and some effort in, I can definitely get to that level'." (Athlete, 06 Aug 2021; ontennis.ca, 01 Sep 2019) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. "COVID-19 drastically impacted my experience in Tokyo [2020 Paralympic Games], so I am really looking forward to being part of the Games as they were meant to be this time around." (muskoka411.com, 21 Jul 2024) Awards: He and cyclist Shelley Gautier were flag bearers for Canada at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile. (Tennis Canada Instagram profile, 18 Nov 2023; cbc.ca, 15 Nov 2023) Additional Info: EVENT TRANSITION He played non-Para tennis before his accident and found the transition to wheelchair tennis difficult, which led to him taking a break from the sport. "I realised two years into it [playing wheelchair tennis] that it wasn't as easy as it looked, [and] that it was mainly a lot of mental frustration for me. Being so recently injured, I had a very clear memory of how easy the sport was standing up and how good I was at it standing up, so I was not able to hit the ball like I used to. That sort of played into my mentality of disliking the sport and being more frustrated and angry than happy with it, which obviously led me to taking that two-year break." (ontennis.ca, 01 Sep 2019) FURTHER EDUCATION In 2016 he began studying for a doctorate degree in health and exercise sciences at the University of British Columbia in Canada. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Apr 2022; Athlete, 06 Aug 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES He was elected as a member of the 2023/24 Wheelchair Tennis Player Council at the International Tennis Federation [ITF]. (itftennis.com, 29 Nov 2022)