The International Tennis Federation has awarded John Noakes with one of wheelchair sport's highest accolades ©Getty Images

John Noakes of The Netherlands has been given the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) Brad Parks Award for 2020 due to his significant contribution to wheelchair tennis internationally.

During his career he helped the growth of the sport in his home nation as well as at international level, playing an integral part in wheelchair tennis' entrance into the 1987 International Stoke Mandeville Games.

Wheelchair tennis was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Paralympics and four years later was a full medal sport at Barcelona 1992.

Noakes was also one of the founding executive officers of the International Wheelchair Tennis Federation (IWTF), which launched in 1988, and was treasurer while Brad Parks, who the award is named after, was President.

South African players like Lucas Sithole have benefited from the work of John Noakes ©Getty Images
South African players like Lucas Sithole have benefited from the work of John Noakes ©Getty Images

The award is given to an individual or organisation in recognition of the impact they have made on the sport.

Parks is seen as the father of the wheelchair tennis but Noakes also played a significant role in the development and introduction of the sport in South Africa, which was one of the first countries to be supported by the Wheelchair Tennis Development Fund.

An experience coach, he also conducted wheelchair tennis clinics in India.