Jan. 28—Evan Enquist is the United States Tennis Association's Director of Adaptive Tennis, working with all six pillars of adaptive play. The 2007 Rochester John Marshall graduate and former player, who is now 37 years old, is currently in Sydney, Australia, for the Australian Open, along with his father.

Enquist, a former hugely successful wheelchair tennis coach at the University of Alabama (seven consecutive national championships), was recently bestowed with a great honor, the Wheelchair Tennis Champion of the Year by Racquet Sports Industry magazine for his support and effort to promote and expand wheelchair tennis in the United States.

POST BULLETIN: Congratulations on the award. What did it mean to you?

EVAN ENQUIST: It was one big week of celebrating in the office. It was nice to be recognized for the last 10 years that I have given to tennis, to take a pause and be recognized. But I am forward-thinking, and I think about all the time and energy that I still want to give to the game.

What makes tennis such a special sport for you?

Tennis is where I always thought I should be. Even when I've tried to step away from it, it's been there. It's where I found my community. And it was always my tennis community that I would miss when it wasn't there. Now that I have the opportunity to create that community for others who didn't previously have that space, that is what I love about it.

How did you come to your new job, as Director of Adaptive Tennis?

As of six weeks ago, I went through a process where I have now expanded my role to include supporting all persons with disabilities in the sport of tennis. My title used to be USTA National Manager for Wheelchair Tennis. Now I am USTA's Director of Adaptive Tennis. I have been given the opportunity to step outside of my expertise in wheelchair tennis and now incorporate the entire disability community and their love of tennis. I am going to be able to share everything that I have learned from my mentors and now apply it to the many spaces whose reach is larger than wheelchair tennis.

There are six pillars of adaptive tennis. What are they?

There is wheelchair, para standings (for those with physical disabilities to compete standing), blind and visually impaired, intellectual and developmental (often associated with Special Olympics tennis), deaf and hard of hearing, and social, emotional and recovery.

What are you trying to achieve and what are you tasked with achieving at the Australian Open?

My main mission is to spend time with one of the other grand slam nations (Australia) and one that does an incredible job of being inclusive in tennis for all. I'll be working with their team through the final week of the tournament.

What drives you in adaptive tennis?

What drives me is that this is the most fulfilling and rewarding thing that I've ever been a part of. I have always loved tennis and have always followed it wherever I have gone. But working at it in this space (for adaptive athletes), there is never a day that it feels like work for me.

While you are at the Australian Open, will you have some downtime in which you can take in some of that professional tennis?

I have credentials on site, so I — along with my father — will be able to see matches, as well. My dad is a lifelong tennis fan, who also taught me to love the sport.

Any thoughts on bringing your adaptive tennis expertise to your hometown of Rochester and its thriving tennis community?

My family still lives in Rochester. I hope to come back there and do a training and a learning day for adaptive tennis. Also, it would be a great opportunity to see my former coaches Tim Butorac and Josh Heiden.

You broke your hand prior to the 2005 John Marshall season and then learned how to play left-handed so you could still have a season. Did that set the table for your interest in adaptive tennis?

I would say there is little comparison in my short experience with a temporary injury versus someone with a permanent injury. I will say that mentors along the way had helped me realize that tennis can be played in many ways and taught me that anyone, no matter the situation, can play the game of tennis.