BEN Baker loves his annual trips to play in Coffs Harbour.

The Brisbane tennis player has played in nearly all the sixteen LJ Hooker Northern NSW Wheelchair Tennis Tournaments which have been held, an annual event hosted by the Westside Tennis Club .

The Queenslander has been playing wheelchair tennis since suffering an accident in 1997, and said the Coffs Harbour event was a highlight of his calendar playing throughout Australia.

“I came to the inaugural event and I’ve always supported it,” he said.

“I like the Coffs event as it is a genuine community event.

“I look forward to it every year, as it’s not just about the tournament but the camaraderie.

“We all go to the pub together and it’s not as serious as other events, it’s all about the participation.”

Taking part in the first Coffs Harbour wheelchair tennis tournament was a springboard for him to play throughout Australia.

“When I first started playing in 1997 there were only two wheelchair players in Queensland,” he said.

“I had to travel to play other players, and when I came here, I saw there were other players and a community to play against.

“Coffs Harbour was the first time I’d played outside of Queensland, and it was a springboard for me to go on the Australian tour and then play overseas.”

He said traveling to play events gave him a new lease on life.

“Traveling across Australia to play was the most wonderful thing in my life, and helped to shape my life,” he said.
“It taught me to not say ‘woe is me’.”

The veteran player said that how you manoeuvred your chair was just as important as how well you hit the ball.

“The big difference between able bodied and wheelchair tennis is that you have to develop your chair skills,” he said.

“You have to manoeuvre your chair just as much as you needing to make your strokes.

“You can be the best player in the world, but you have to be the best in the chair.”

Toowoomba’s Lachlan Steinohrt defeated Ballina’s Jamie Tanner 6-2 to win the singles tournament.

Stewart Sherman from the Hunter and Jamie Tanner defeated Ben Baker and Lachlan Steinohrt 6-4 to win the doubles.

By Aiden BURGESS