The opening ceremonies at the Birmingham Nationals in 2019.

This year’s Birmingham National Wheelchair Tennis Championships will take place at the IGA Stadium in Montreal, Quebec from November 4-7. The tournament is one of the most prestigious wheelchair tennis events in the nation and the first domestic wheelchair competition held since 2019. Anne-Marie Dolinar, Rob Shaw, and Thomas Venos – the defending singles champions in their respective divisions – are among the 24 players vying for the national titles at the 2021 Birmingham Nationals.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Players

24 of Canada’s top players are entered at this year’s event. They will be fighting for a shot at the national title in the quad’s, women’s, and men’s divisions. The defending champion in the quad’s division is Tokyo 2020 Paralympian Shaw, who won his fifth consecutive title in 2019. Ottawa’s Dolinar was crowned champion in the women’s singles division while Venos brought home the hardware on the men’s side at the last edition of the Birmingham Nationals.

Maude Jacques (left) and Natalia Lanucha (right) at the Birmingham Nationals in 2019.

The doubles champions were Shaw and Gary Luker (quad), Natalia Lanucha and Maude Jacques (women), and Venos and Barry Henderson (men).

The youngest player in Montreal this year will be the extremely-talented John Chen (15) of British Columbia.

Participating provinces

The players participating in the event represent four different provinces – British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. British Columbia and Quebec have the most athletes with nine each, Ontario has the third most with five, and Alberta has just one, Souheil Saab. 

Team Ontario’s 2019 team.

Venue

For the second time in the tournament’s history, the Birmingham Nationals will be played out of the IGA Stadium and hosted by Parasports Quebec. The venue hosts multiple renowned tournaments throughout the year, such as the Fischer Outdoor Junior Nationals and the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.

Make sure to follow us on our Tennis Canada and Wheelchair Tennis Canada social media accounts. We will be posting daily recaps, pictures and much more!