The LTA has selected a squad of 13 wheelchair tennis players for the Lexus GB World Team Cup Team that will contest four draws at the 2025 BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Antalya, Turkey on 6-11 May.
The squad will represent Great Britain across all four events contested annually at the International Tennis Federation’s flagship wheelchair tennis event, which is the wheelchair equivalent of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. The team line-up is as follows:
Men – Captain Alex Cockram
- Ben Bartram
- Dahnon Ward
- Andrew Penney
Women – Captain Marc McCarroll
- Lucy Shuker
- Cornelia Oosthuizen
- Ruby Bishop
Quads – Captain Martyn Whait
- Andy Lapthorne
- Greg Slade
- Gary Cox
Juniors – Captain Imran Aswat
- Ruben Harris
- Lucas de Gouveia
- Matthew Knoesen
- Will Barton
Team Leader: Erik Koers
Great Britain’s long history of success in the World Team Cup included a first in 2023, when the men’s and junior teams lifted titles in the same year for the first time, while Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid spearheaded a team that also included Ben Bartram and Dahnon Ward to retain the men’s title in 2024.
With Hewett and Reid not available at the start of a new Paralympic cycle, Bartram, Ward and Andrew Penney take over the senior team roles in Turkey as they target another medal position, all three having graduated from medal-winning junior teams of recent years.
Seven-time World Team Cup medallist and British No.1 Lucy Shuker will contest her 15th World Team Cup in the women’s event. Joining Shuker will be fellow 2019 bronze medallist Cornelia Oosthuizen and Ruby Bishop, who makes her third appearance for the Great Britain women’s team.
Meanwhile, Paris 2024 Paralympic quad doubles silver medallists Andy Lapthorne and Greg Slade headline the team selected for the quad event alongside Gary Cox, who earned his LTA Colour Holder status after his first World Team Cup selection in 2023.
Current LTA Junior Wheelchair Tennis Player of the Year Ruben Harris, among those celebrated last week at the LTA Tennis Awards presented by Lexus, joins three of the LTA’s National Age Group Wheelchair Programme players, Will Barton, Lucas de Gouveia and Matthew Knoesen, in the junior team.
Speaking ahead of the event, Erik Koers, Head of the LTA’s Wheelchair Performance Pathway, said: “We’re delighted to be able to announce a Lexus GB World Team Cup team for this year that is rich in experience, youth and potential for the years ahead as we remain as one of just four wheelchair tennis nations competing in all four men’s, women’s, quad and junior events.
“As we are now in the first year of another Paralympic cycle it is an exciting time to have three of our younger players stepping up to lead this year’s men’s team after Ben and Dahnon have played integral roles alongside Alfie and Gordon in our gold medal-winning teams of the last two years. All four GB teams have the potential to be in medal contention in Turkey as we look to reinforce Great Britain’s position as a leading wheelchair nation and inspire more young people to take up our wonderful sport and aspire to join our wheelchair performance pathway.”
For daily news throughout the event, head to www.lta.org.uk or keep up to date with all the action on X @the_LTA or @WChairTennisGB.
To find out more about the LTA’s work with disability tennis, head to www.lta.org.uk/play or email disabilitytennis@lta.org.uk.
With thanks to the LTA
