Blind world tennis champion credits family for win

A visually impaired man who was victorious at the World Blind Tennis Championships has credited his win to his family's support throughout his training.

Ivan Rodriquez Deb, 21, from Watford, Hertfordshire, was crowned world champion after winning every match in his category (B4) at the tournament in Vilnius, Lithuania, last month.

The athlete said his achievement required "a massive investment from family members" and credits his mum, Anita Deb, for getting him involved in visually impaired (VI) tennis at the age of 13.

"My mum was the one who initially took me to tennis lessons and then found VI tennis and has seen pretty much all of my matches," he added.

Rodriguez Deb was born with Marfan Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that causes lens dislocation.

As well as his mum, the 21-year-old thanked his brother, who he said helped him to train for his world champion title.

"In something like visually impaired tennis, there's not the same amount of funding available, so my brother had to take up a racket and help me train," he said.

"That essentially helped me to reach the stage of GB Number One and from there, I was able to get more sponsorship and be able to progress."

He described winning the world championship title as "an incredible feeling".

"When I first picked up my medal and looked at it, to me it was more than just a medal - it represented the better part of a decade of hard work.

"Not just my own, but my team, my coach Paul and also my mum who's been there since the beginning," he said.

VI tennis is an adapted version of the game designed for players who are blind or partially sighted.

Participants play in games according to five categories, ranging from B1, for players with no sight, to B4 and B5, for players with partial sight.

Rodriguez Deb explained the most significant difference in VI tennis was the use of a bigger foam ball, which has a ball bearing inside that makes it audible when it was travelling through the air.

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