WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The top wheelchair tennis player in the U.S. is going to the Paralympics in a couple weeks — and he got his start in Wichita.
Former Wichita State student Casey Ratzlaff, now a volunteer assistant tennis coach at Dartmouth, is urging more people to watch the Paralympics.
He said he didn’t know wheelchair tennis existed until he started playing. Now headed to Paris for the competition that begins Aug. 30, he hopes more people will gain respect for the players and the game.
“You feel like there’s a difference in how we’re treated as athletes,” Ratzlaff said. “You always get that. I mean, it’s an issue that’s ever-evolving in our society and continues to improve. There’s always this stigma that we’re trying to catch up in terms of our respect amongst the professional athletic world.”
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