Celebrating Disability Pride Month: Jeffrey Dellovade

This July, as we celebrate Disability Pride Month, USTA Florida is proud to spotlight Jeffrey Dellovade, a passionate wheelchair tennis player and advocate who is breaking barriers and building community both on and off the court.  

Jeffrey’s Start as an Adaptive Athlete 

Born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1970, Jeffrey spent most of his life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before relocating to Belleview, Florida in March 2022. He picked up a tennis racquet for the first time in 2023, nearly three decades after a life-changing accident. 

“I am a C7 quadriplegic who was injured in a car accident in 1994,” he shared. “As a disabled person, I feel that it is of paramount importance that people in similar conditions take pride in their abilities to be fully active and productive members of society regardless of their disability.” 

That mindset has fueled Jeffrey’s lifelong commitment to adaptive sports. Following his injury, he began competing in wheelchair racing and went on to win the Quad Division of the Boston Marathon in both 2000 and 2001. Later, he and his family took up handcycling together. But it was the move to Florida, and his daughter Abigail, that ultimately brought tennis into his life. 

“Abigail played some tennis in high school and picked it up again once we moved to Florida. Since then, Abigail has also gained her Level 2 certification as a tennis coach,” Jeffrey said. “The Fort King Tennis Center had a tennis chair that wasn’t being used, so they let me borrow it and I fell in love with the sport.” 

Getting Himself and Others Involved 

What started as a family activity has turned into a personal mission. With support from Fort King Tennis Center and a grant from USTA Florida, Jeffrey helped launch an adaptive tennis program that now serves both kids and adults. “So far we have had two six-week clinics with the youth program growing to the point we have more participants than available chairs,” he said.  

Yet for all his success, one of Jeffrey’s biggest challenges remains the lack of adult wheelchair tennis players nearby. “At this point I play with and against able-bodied players which is challenging considering the difference in the pace of the game and the mobility disparity,” he said. “Like any adaptive sport, the two biggest accessibility issues in tennis, in my opinion, are equipment and competition/partners.” 

Despite these hurdles, Jeffrey remains a strong advocate for expanding the sport’s reach. “I’d like to see more promotion of the sport,” he said. “Things like hosting multi-day clinics or having tournaments. I also think there could be relationships with all of the universities in the state as there must be a significant number of disabled students looking for opportunities to participate in adaptive sports.” 

At the heart of Jeffrey’s journey is the power of family. “Both my wife and daughter have been very instrumental in my involvement in adaptive tennis,” he said. “I play with both of them on different mixed doubles teams through leagues organized by the USTA.” He recently celebrated his first official match win playing alongside Abigail. “Let’s not pretend we don’t know who did most of the heavy lifting, but it was good to be able to contribute enough to get the win.” 

It Takes a Community 

Jeffrey is also grateful for the support of his local tennis community. “Fort King Tennis Center has been very accommodating in working to include wheelchair tennis at their facility,” he said. “I take weekly lessons from one of the teaching pros, who is also the manager of the facility, Jason Weiss. He has been helpful in developing my tennis abilities and even brushes up on some YouTube wheelchair tennis videos to familiarize himself with the finer points of our game.” 

Above all, Jeffrey wants to change perceptions, both for disabled and able-bodied players. “I try to live in such a way that people don’t see the wheelchair,” he said. “I just want people to see a tennis player across the net from them, not a wheelchair tennis player.” 

He encourages others who are curious about adaptive tennis to take the first step. “Just start. You need to be patient and recognize the small incremental improvements you make along the way and not get frustrated. Enjoy the journey of learning the sport.” 

And he’s committed to supporting the next generation, both on the court and through his blog, That’s How I Roll. “I’m proud that I’ve had the opportunity to live the life that I have and participate in adaptive sports,” he said. “I hope I can offer support for the next generation to reach further.” 

To the USTA Florida community, Jeffrey offers this message. “I’d like all of us to reach across the aisle and make a concerted attempt to include each other in each other’s version of tennis so there are no boundaries or differences. It’s all just tennis.” 

Learn more about adaptive tennis opportunities at ustaflorida.com/adaptive.