Australia’s top-ranked wheelchair player Heath Davidson shares valuable advice in our “Train with the Pros” series.
Melbourne, Australia, 13 September 2024 | Jackson Mansell
Heath Davidson is one of the world’s best quad wheelchair tennis players.
The 37-year-old from Melbourne is a four-time Grand Slam doubles champion and has been ranked as high as world No.1 in doubles and world No.3 in singles.
His impressive resume also includes Paralympic Games gold and silver medals, won in doubles alongside close friend Dylan Alcott.
Davidson has built a reputation as being a wonderful mentor for aspiring players and always finds time to support the Australian juniors coming up in wheelchair tennis. In our Train with the Pros series, Davidson offers advice on how to perform best on the practice court.
Do you have a favourite time of day to practice?
Early in the morning so I can get home and play COD (Call of Duty).
How many hours per week, on average, would you spend on the practice court?
I can’t give away my secrets on that one, but if I’m being honest, not as much as I should.
Do you have a favourite part of your game to work on?
I love hitting drop shots. I’m always trying to be creative on the court. I guess the more I practice that, the more it shows up in my matches.
Do you have a least favourite part of your game to work on?
Definitely overheads, I hate them. I don’t know why I keep going for them but it’s really hard to adjust in a wheelchair to an overhead. Once the ball gets that tiny bit too high or the wind takes it, it’s tough.
Can you remember the first professional player you had an opportunity to practice with?
Would you call Dylan Alcott a pro? (laughs) No, I was really fortunate that when I came back to playing tennis – me and Dylan we’re so close, we’ve known each other for 23 years – so, I was straight back onto the court with him. He was generous enough to give me his time, because I was garbage when I came back. But six months later, something clicked, and I started to play tennis again.
Are there any players on tour you would love the opportunity to practice with?
Aryna Sabalenka. I think she’s awesome. She loves to dance and has fun with her team, so if I could get out there with Sabalenka, it would be pretty cool.
What advice would you share with an aspiring player trying to get the most out of a training session?
Training is a great opportunity for you to work on how you would be on court in a match, as everything you do in training will relate to what you do on court. So train like you would play in a match with high-intensity levels, push hard, swing through the ball and just keep slugging it out.
Finally, if you had five minutes remaining in a session and could do anything you wish, what would it be?
I love doing returns, just getting more comfortable swinging through the returns. Returning would probably be one of my favourite parts of practice.
> READ MORE: From our “Train with the pros” series
Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!