Tennis player Marc Chiang, who is partially blind, only knows he has kept the ball in play when he hears its distinctive rattle coming back towards him.
Marc Chiang cannot see his opponent on the other side of the court, or the ball until it is less than a metre away from him, he cannot even see where his own shots go. The 38-year-old, who is partially blind, only knows he has kept the ball in play when he hears its distinctive rattle coming back towards him.
Listening is the most important skill in soundball, or blind tennis, as it is the players’ only means of locating the sponge ball, which is filled with ball bearings.