Justin DeSanto met Casey Ratzlaff at Wichita State University in 2017 and agreed to coach him when it became clear that tennis was important to Ratzlaff.

“Working with someone who wanted to be a professional and make a living at it was very appealing,” said DeSanto, now the men’s coach at Dartmouth College. “You knew you were going to get that approval every time you went to practice, and that’s exactly what I got with Casey.”

The team, which began at WSU’s Coleman Tennis Complex, has become one of the most successful in wheelchair tennis. Ratzlaff, who is studying sports management at Wichita State, will play in the men’s open division at the Paris Paralympics starting Friday. He is the top-ranked American and seeded 13th in the 64-man field.

“Everything is going well and I will continue to try to reach even greater heights,” said Casey. “Justin has learned wheelchair tennis and has taken to it very quickly. It’s a great partnership.”

For Ratzlaff, a Wichita resident who was born with spina bifida, the Paralympics hold great significance as his experience at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics was limited due to COVID.

Justin DeSanto

“I’m really looking forward to competing,” he said. “This is my first real, full Paralympics and I really want to enjoy it and take it all in.”

This caps a year in which he became the first American to compete in the men’s wheelchair event at Wimbledon. He also competed in the British Open, the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, the World Team Cup and won the Austria Open.

DeSanto, an assistant coach at Wichita State in 2017, was impressed with Ratzlaff’s determination and willingness to be coached. Nick Taylor, a three-time Paralympic gold medalist and the Shockers’ director of operations, worked with Ratzlaff and helped DeSanto adjust to wheelchair racing.

“Nick is an absolute inspiration,” DeSanto said.

DeSantos’ work with the 25-year-old Ratzlaff focused on harnessing his athletic talents and grit and refining his approach and focus. Ratzlaff followed DeSantos to the University of Alabama at Birmingham and then to Dartmouth to continue training. Ratzlaff works as an assistant coach at Dartmouth.

“He has a great understanding of tennis,” Casey said. “He took me under his wing.”

Nick Taylor

DeSanto described his work as “housekeeping” for Ratzlaff on a higher level. He reminded Ratzlaff to warm up properly. He worked with him on strategy during a game, which was especially important as his competition improved. He reminded him to leave his phone in the locker room during practice. He encouraged Ratzlaff to keep a journal.

“He’s always been a great player,” DeSanto said. “I taught him what he can do. He’ll always put his head down and do what you ask of him.”

Ratzlaff believes that his experiences from 2020 and the recent Grand Slam tournaments in Paris will help him.

“The Slams are very different from anything else you’ll play,” he said. “They really help you refine your game. You deal with high-pressure situations and learn how to react to different environments.”