In the summer of 1995, David Wagner faced a major injury and an uncertain future. An accident in the surf off the coast of Redondo Beach, Calif., left him a C-6 quadriplegic with a long road to rehab. Eventually, the Walla Walla University graduate gained the strength necessary to pursue tennis, a game he had played at the collegiate level.
Now ranked as the #1 quad wheelchair tennis player in the world, Wagner occasionally ponders what he would have done if he had not been injured. He had a degree in elementary education, so a future as a teacher was likely. Whatever he did, excellence was always the goal.
“Before I got hurt, I wanted to be the best at whatever I did,” says Wagner, who won the quad wheelchair doubles with Nick Taylor at the U.S. Open in September and the quad singles title at the Australian Open in January. “I still wanted to be the best after I got hurt.”
Nowadays, the 37-year-old travels the globe as an elite athlete thanks to modest prize money and vital sponsors. Sunrise Medical provides the crucial Quickie Match Point, a wheelchair made especially for the quick turns and sudden stops of tennis. Wagner also won the gold in doubles play with Taylor at the 2004 Paralympics and the silver medal in singles. At the 2008 Paralympics, he and Taylor won gold in doubles and competed against each other in the bronze medal match of the singles event, with Wagner taking the match and the medal.
After attending the International Seating Symposium in March, Wagner headed back to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., where he trains full-time. His losses in the Paralympics singles bracket motivate him to push through the exhaustion and keep on fighting.
With the help of athletic tape, Wagner maintains one grip (a semi-western hybrid) for the entire match. Most able-bodied players switch grips for forehand, backhand and serve, but Wagner has adapted his stroke to hit all the shots and spins he needs. Practice, as always, is the key.
“The goal is gold — singles and doubles at the 2012 Paralympics in London,” says Wagner. “I am training every day, staying in shape and competing in the right tournaments to qualify for the Games. That is one of the main reasons I'm down here full-time at the Olympic Training Center.”
With his tennis career now on go, Wagner is able to reflect on the early days of his paralysis and offer advice to those working with newly injured people.
“The thing that was the best for me was that my family, friends and caregivers treated me exactly the same,” offers Wagner. “They did not treat me as if I were this fragile, broken-down person. You are still you. You are just dealing with a disability that you have to face. If everyone treats you like a fragile, broken-down piece, then you might start to believe that.”
