Wheelchair tennis athletes from around the world came to Baton Rouge for the 33rd annual Cajun Classic, a tournament where ability on the court far outweighs the disabilities players face in everyday life.

The Cajun Class is more than a grand slam tournament for competitors, it’s a community built on resilience, connections, and a shared love for the sport.

Among the athletes filling the courts is Travis Nock from Millsboro, Delaware, whose intro wheelchair tennis began before he ever picked up a racquet. After missing an immunization when he was six months old, Nock contracted polio and has lived with the effects ever since. Although he can walk with crutches, it qualifies him to play adaptive sports.

“You know, it’s highly competitive,” Nock said. “Super, super, engaging to, you know, not only to compete, but to socialize and to be amongst people who’s experienced some level of the same level of challenges that you face coming up.”

That competitiveness is what brings athletes like Zane Goodwin to wheelchair tennis. Goodwin has juvenile arthritis, which affects every joint in his body. This makes stand-up sports difficult, but wheelchair tennis opened a new path.

“I’ve been playing for about round six years now, and it’s put a lot of opportunities in my life,” Goodwin said. “It’s helped me physically, mentally. It’s done a lot of good for me.”

However, for some players, tennis isn’t something they discovered but something they fought to keep.

In April 2024, a flesh-eating infection took Zach Wannawong’s right leg and severely damaged the muscles in his left. Wannawong fell into depression after this life-changing moment, but when he learned about wheelchair tennis, his passion for life and the sport came back instantly.

“I played tennis my whole life, but I didn’t know that wheelchair tennis was a big thing,” Wannawong said.

Now, he arrives hours before his matches to watch and support other Cajun Classic athletics.

“We’re all smiling, enjoying the time,” Wannawong said. “Support each other and just having fun.”

Although the Cajun Classic is a tournament that brings the best wheelchair tennis players from across the world, it also brings the most inspiring stories.