Wheelchair tennis at the Rio 2016 Paralympics: All you need to know

Stephane Houdet is a qualified vet and also played golf on the World Golf Tour for the Disabled

How does it work?

Wheelchair tennis is broadly similar to the running game but with a couple of important differences.

Players can allow the ball to bounce twice and while the first bounce must be inside the court boundaries, the second can be inside or outside.

In addition, at the serve, the server must be in a stationary position before serving the ball, but is allowed one push of the wheelchair before striking the ball.

Matches are the best of three sets and a tie-break settles each set as required.

Players compete in the men's, women's and quad divisions. The men's and women's division is for players whose impairment affects up to two limbs while those whose impairment affects three or more limbs compete in the mixed sex quad division.

Who are the British medal hopes?

The inaugural Wimbledon men's singles champion Gordon Reid will be chasing glory in the singles but also in the doubles after he and Alfie Hewett claimed glory at SW19 in July.

Jordanne Whiley leads the GB challenge in the women's events as she and Lucy Shuker hope to upgrade the bronze they won four years ago.

And in the quad division, Andy Lapthorne, a doubles silver medallist in London, will bid for more success along with doubles partner Jamie Burdekin.

Who are the other challengers?

Japan's Shingo Kunieda will be aiming for a third men's singles title in a row but the likes of Reid, France's Stephane Houdet and Belgium's Joachim Gerard will be hoping to claim victory.

Since the retirement of London women's singles champion, the all-conquering Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands, there has been no dominant figure but her compatriots Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot will bid to maintain that Dutch success, along with Whiley for GB and her usual doubles partner Yui Kamiji for Japan.

Did you know?

Stephane Houdet is a qualified vet and also played golf on the World Golf Tour for the Disabled.

Before settling on wheelchair tennis, Jordanne Whiley tried wheelchair racing and basketball. Wheelchair racing she found boring and although she liked basketball, she admits she is not really a team player.

ParalympicsGB London 2012 medals

Two (one silver, one bronze).