The appointment of the 30-year-old (pictured top), who has won medals in every major international deaf tennis competition since her debut at the age of 12 including gold in the mixed doubles with Anthony Sinclair at the Taipei 2009 Deaflympics, was announced today by the Tennis Foundation and comes just weeks before the national event, taking place at the Gosling High Performance Centre in Welwyn Garden City on May 4-6.

Fletcher, who is co-director of a coaching business with her husband and fellow Deaflympian Lewis Fletcher, says she is also looking forward to leading Britain's tennis players at the 22nd Summer Deaflympics, being held in Sofia from July 26 to August 4 this year, which she hopes will also be her fifth and last Deaflympics as a player.

"I've been very proud to represent Great Britain and win medals at many major championships over the course of the last 17 years and with so many special memories already, I'm excited by the challenges ahead," said Fletcher, whose most recent international medal came with her husband when they won bronze in the mixed doubles at the 2012 European Deaf Tennis Championships in Koblenz.

"I am thrilled to accept this position and my husband, Lewis, will be a huge support to me and British deaf tennis going forward.

"We are both committed to ensuring more deaf people pick up a racket and start enjoying playing tennis."


The Tennis Foundation's head of disability player performance, Geraint Richards, also welcomed the appointment.

"We are delighted to have Cathy on board as she brings so much experience from both a playing and coaching perspective," he said.

"I'm sure we can continue the successful history of British deaf tennis at a performance level while also attracting more people to play the game at development level."

Deaf tennis follows all of the same rules as tennis and requires no adaptation aside from communication when sign language is used by players and officials where required.

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