Team: Women
Birthdate: Dec. 19, 1990
Hometown: San Diego
Age started playing wheelchair tennis: 13
Number of World Team Cups: 8
American No.1 Dana Mathewson contracted a rare neurological disease known as Transverse Myelitis when she was 10 years old, which causes the immune system to attack the spinal cord at a certain level. She went from running sprints on the soccer field to being paralyzed in a matter of minutes. Mathewson’s mother urged her to play adaptive sports, and she soon signed up for a USTA junior tennis camp.
Since then, Mathewson went on to play for the University of Arizona wheelchair tennis team from 2009-13, where she was coached by fellow World Team Cup team member Bryan Barten and earned a speech, language & hearing sciences degree. She also competed in the 2016 Rio Paralympics, has represented the U.S. in the World Team Cup eight times and was the No. 5-ranked junior wheelchair tennis player in the world in October 2008.
When Mathewson retires from tennis, she hopes to become a pediatric audiologist. She is currently living in London pursing a Master’s degree in audiology at University College.