First Deaf Tennis player
Deafness is the inability to hear. The term deaf describes or identifies people with severe hearing loss. Sometimes they also talk about difficulty hearing. Deafness is incredibly hidden and sometimes it can be hard to tell if someone is hearing impaired and may need additional communication support.
Tennis relies heavily on sound:
Players listen to the ball's drop on the court or the swing of the tennis ball. Sounds like he tells them when to do something. They listen to the referee and decide the match and the points.
Deaf players focus on the feel of the racket in their hands, the movement of the opponent, and the ball going over the net. Visualization occurs in an average of 180-200 milliseconds. Emotions, on the other hand, occur in 140-160 milliseconds.
Lee’s deafness:
- Full name: Lee Duck-hee
- Country (sports): South Korea
- Born: 29 May 1998 (age 24)
- Jecheon, South Korea
- Height: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
- Plays: Right-handed (two-handed-backhand)
- Highest ranking: No. 130 (10 April 2017)
- Current ranking: No. 394 (21 March 2022)
Lee was diagnosed with deafness at an early age. His parents decided to teach him the lips instead of the tongue. When he started elementary school, he was removed from the school for the deaf to join the hearing world.
When it came to sports, Lee's parents were left out of the sports team due to communication difficulties. Playing tennis is optional because chatting with friends is optional. In addition, their employment opportunities are limited because long-term employment opportunities for deaf people in South Korea are limited.
Personal life:
Lee was born deaf. On the tennis court, you feel the vibrations, but you have to rely on your hands to pick up the lines and the judges. In 2015, his story was featured in a campaign for ANZ Bank, which was the sponsor of the Australian Open that year.
Lee Duck-hee first deaf player to win
ATP:
Lee Duck-hee threw the ball in the air for his first serve at an ATP tournament and made it past his opponent.
The tour's first deaf player says he doesn't want to be defined by his disability, which he has overcome enough to play at the highest level of the game.
His first appearance at the top level was the second longest. Lee defeated Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland 7-6 (4), 6-1 in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open on Monday to face third-seeded Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.
Who can compete in deaf tennis?
To qualify, a player must have an average hearing loss of at least 55dB in the best ear - learn more about hearing here.
During the competition, competitors must remove the cochlear implants and headphones before the start of the competition before the warm-up. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. The reason for this is to make it playable for everyone.
