David Wagner (tennis)

David Wagner was born on March 4, 1974. He is an American wheelchair tennis player. David faces big physical challenges, but he became an amazing athlete. He plays in the quad division for players with similar challenges.

David plays tennis by taping the racket to his hand. He shows great skill and strength. Because of his hard work, David is ranked number three in the world in singles and number two in doubles. His story shows that with determination, people can achieve great things, no matter what challenges they face.

Early life

David Wagner was born in Fullerton, California and grew up in Walla Walla, Washington. He played basketball in high school and tennis in college. When he was 21, he visited a friend in Redondo Beach, California during summer break. While playing frisbee on the beach, he fell and could not use his body from the chest down.

After this, he took a break from college and started practicing table tennis. He won a national table tennis competition three times in a row, from 1997 to 1999.

Tennis career

In 1999, when he was 25, David Wagner went to a special training camp for wheelchair tennis started by Rick Draney. Rick Draney was the best quadriplegic tennis player in the world at the time. Wagner loved the sport, and by 2002, he became the top-ranked U.S. quadriplegic player.

Wagner reached the number one spot in the world for both doubles and singles in wheelchair tennis. He won gold and silver medals at the 2004 Summer Paralympics, and won more medals in later Paralympics in 2008, 2012, and 2016. He helped make wheelchair tennis more popular by asking big tournaments like the U.S. Open and the Australian Open to include a special division for players like him. Today, he teaches others in camps and clinics, encouraging everyone to try out this amazing sport.

Personal life

David Wagner finished his studies to become an elementary school teacher in 2000. But in 2001, he decided to play wheelchair tennis instead. He lived in Hillsboro, Oregon from 2006 to 2014 and then moved to Chula Vista, California. Now, he trains at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, where he is the only tennis player.

Tennis career statistics

Grand Slam performance timelines

Current through the 2025 Australian Open.

Quad singles

Quad doubles