Greg Crump named ITF Wheelchair Tennis Coach of the Year for 2024
Greg Crump, Tennis Australia’s foremost wheelchair tennis coach for the best part of 40 years, has been named ITF Wheelchair Tennis Coach of the Year for 2023.
The Coach of the Year Award is presented to a coach who is considered to have made a substantial contribution to the development of wheelchair tennis and players both nationally and internationally. The Award is presented by the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Committee and was introduced in 2004.
With a coaching career that began in 1998, Crump has been a driving force in the growth and success of wheelchair tennis both in Australia and internationally for almost four decades.
He has played a pivotal role in shaping the sport, including mentoring three of Australia’s former world No. 1 players - David Hall, Daniela di Toro and Dylan Alcott - and has been captain of six Australian World Team Cup team-winning teams, while also fulfilling numerous roles across five Paralympic Games.
Named winner of the ITF Brad Parks Award in 2018, Crump continued to have an outstanding impact on wheelchair tennis in 2024, coaching Australia’s BNP Paribas World Team Cup junior team to silver medal honours and playing a pivotal role in developing the next generation of elite players.
His coaching was instrumental in the rapid rise of Jin Woodman, who progressed from junior boys' world No. 16 to No. 4 and from quad world No. 69 to No. 20 in just 12 months after securing seven singles and three doubles titles in 2024. Woodman would become junior world No. 1 in January 2025, reaching what was then a career-best No. 14 quad singles ranking, with notable victories over fellow Australian Heath Davidson, as well as Andy Lapthorne.
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Beyond individual success, Crump fostered the development of all 11 internationally ranked Australian junior players in 2024 - more than any other country. Of these players, Crump was the full-time coach of three top 30 junior players, including Sonny Rennison, Arlo Shawcross, and Gillie Lumby, their respective improvements demonstrated by the selection of all three players to the Australian junior team for the 2025 BNP Paribas World Team Cup, which was again captained by Crump.
Affectionately known to many within the international wheelchair tennis community as ‘Crumpy’, Crump’s contributions extend beyond coaching, as demonstrated by the
2024 ’Crumpy Cup’, Australia’s premier wheelchair tennis team event named in his honour, which saw record participation last year with 34 players, including an international team from New Zealand.
Crump used the event as an opportunity to mentor 15 coaches nationwide, his commitment to grassroots development also evident during the 2024 Australian National Wheelchair Tennis Championships, where he led a green ball development series, introducing six new junior players to the sport.
Outside of coaching commitment, Crump has served as a committee member for both the former International Wheelchair Tennis Association and the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Committee, helping shape the global direction of the sport. Crump has also been instrumental in developing the Australian wheelchair tennis tour, which now features 12 national and international tournaments, providing critical opportunities for emerging players.
Crump’s dedication to the support and development of players and people is unparalleled – he has spent 37 years running weekly tennis sessions for spinal cord injury patients at The Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre in Melbourne and has extended the same support to young patients at The Royal Children’s Hospital for the past decade.
Crump’s unwavering commitment, leadership, and passion for wheelchair tennis has left a lasting legacy on the sport and its athletes worldwide and through his leadership and dedication he continues to shape the future of wheelchair tennis on both national and international stages.
Crump was announced as 2024 ITF Wheelchair Tennis Coach of the Year during the 2025 BNP Paribas World Team Cup, where he received his award form Alistair Williams, Head of the Wheelchair Tennis Tour & Major Event Operations at the ITF.