On a sunny morning at Gold River Sports Club, the sound of a tennis ball echoes across the court. The sound is what guides Jessica Gonzalez, a blind tennis player, to the ball. She stands upright, racket in hand, with her feet slightly apart. The ball bounces once, twice, and three times; she changes direction, swings, and scores. A clean return.
For her, tennis is more than a game. It’s a declaration of courage, strength, and independence.
“Every time I step on this court, I improve just a smidge more,” she says. “Just one step closer to becoming the next Venus, the next Serena, or just the next best me.”
Gonzalez’s path to the tennis court began far from the polished courts of Sacramento County. Born in Stockton, she entered the world prematurely at five months and was diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity, a disease that damaged her vision. By the time she was 4, her father had been deported to Cuba and her mother, overwhelmed with four children, placed them in foster care.
“We all went our own separate ways,” Gonzalez says. “I bounced around from children’s shelters to foster homes until I was 12. I ended up in a home that wasn’t very kind.”
After leaving foster care, she joined the Orientation Center for the Blind in Albany, where she learned essential skills such as cooking, cleaning, and reading Braille. There, she first gained independence. In 2006, she received her first guide dog, Fender.
“He wasn’t just my guide,” she says with a smile. “He was my guard dog. Having him made me feel like I could conquer anything.”
With newfound confidence, she pursued higher education. She attended the Art Institute of Sacramento, earning a bachelor’s in digital film and video production with a 3.9 GPA.
“I wanted to prove that blind people can go to school and achieve something great,” she says. “And I did. There wasn’t a dry eye when I gave my valedictory speech.” Now, she works with Apple as a logistics warehouse trainer.
The Birth Of Blind Tennis
While tennis may seem like an impossible sport for someone with limited vision, blind tennis, also known as sound tennis, has broken barriers for decades. According to the International Blind Tennis Association, the sport was invented in 1984 by Miyoshi Takei, a blind Japanese student who refused to let his disability stop him from playing the game he loved. He developed a ball that emitted sound when it bounced and used tactile lines to define the court.
“It was pretty popular in Japan for several years, and then started spreading around the world,” says Samir Mahir, Gonzalez’s coach, an active volunteer with the United States Tennis Association. He also has collaborated with international, national, and state sports organizations to develop blind and visually impaired tennis programs for social participation and high-performance competition.
From a small gymnasium in Japan, the sport slowly moved across the world. In the 1990s, international competitions began taking shape, and by 2024 blind tennis had reached nearly 30 countries.
The International Blind Tennis Association was founded to standardize rules, promote inclusivity, and create global competition opportunities.
In the United States, the movement gained momentum thanks to partnerships between the USTA Northern California, the PTR Foundation, and the Society for the Blind. Together, they helped bring adaptive tennis to more communities, including the Gold River Sports Club in Rancho Cordova, which remains one of the nation’s few facilities to host blind, wheelchair, and Special Olympics tennis.
Without these programs, athletes such as Jessica Gonzalez might never have picked up a racket.
Finding Herself In Tennis
Gonzalez discovered blind tennis in 2023 at an event at Gold River Sports Club. She was 41 years old. “From the first swing, I fell in love,” she says. “I didn’t know blind people could play tennis, but once I got on that court, I knew I had found something that was for me.”
In less than two years, her skills have skyrocketed under Mahir’s mentorship.
“We need people like her,” he says. “She’s a trailblazer. She’s very motivated and driven. Her level has tripled in less than two years.”
Jessica’s dedication paid off when she received an invitation to compete as a wild card at the 2024 IBTA World Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, where she made history as the first woman to represent the U.S. in the tournament. She finished ranked 12th in the world.
“I didn’t feel ready,” she says. “But my coach believed in me. When I stepped on that court, I played my heart out. I realized I wasn’t just representing myself, I was representing every blind person who dreams of doing something bigger.”
Blind tennis is played on smaller courts with slightly modified equipment. The ball contains ball bearings that beep when it moves.
“So they rely on the sound. After a while, the anticipation becomes amazing, because they start guessing where the ball is going to land, which is unbelievable,” Mahir says. “Jessica can now anticipate better and has a great level of awareness on the court. Once they start playing better, they start getting used to the court dimensions.”
Players are divided into categories, B1 through B4, based on their level of vision. Gonzalez competes as a B2 player, meaning she has limited sight and plays with up to three bounces per shot.
“The hardest part is listening,” Gonzalez says. “You have to know where the ball is from the sound of the bounce. You get three bounces, but that third one comes fast. It’s all about timing and trust.”
Mahir explains that blind tennis is an adaptive sport.
“The rules, the regulations, equipment, core dimensions, the ball — everything is adapted to the sport,” he says. “The whole goal of this is to grow tennis globally to a point where we become a Paralympic sport.”
A Growing Movement in Sacramento
At Gold River Sports Club, the community surrounding blind tennis is small but fiercely committed. Volunteers come out weekly to feed balls, guide players, and keep score. “We can’t play without volunteers,” Gonzalez says. “This sport is about teamwork. Tennis isn’t a one-person game; it takes two people to make it happen.”
Terry Sandoval, a Gold River Sports Club member, began volunteering with Gonzalez after being drawn “by her absolute joy.” Sandoval, 66, who has played tennis since the early ’60s, describes Gonzalez as a fierce competitor and hard worker who has a great passion for tennis.
“Bottom line is that I was attracted to Jessica and then the others because of their sheer joy of the game, which I share,” Sandoval says. “I love that she is a fierce competitor and that she is competitive with herself.”
Gonzalez’s passion is contagious. What started as a single-player program at the club has grown to include a couple of other visually impaired athletes. Gonzalez hopes to form the region’s first official blind tennis league. “I may be the first, but I’m not the last,” she says. “I want to help others find this same joy.”
Looking Ahead To Europe
Gonzalez is preparing for her next big challenge: competing at the Virtus Centenary Tournament in Bologna, Italy, and the 2025 Burgundy Grand Prix in Dijon, France, both hosted by the International Blind Tennis Association.
There’s just one hurdle: funding.
Her travel goal is $6,000 to cover flights, lodging, and tournament fees. So far, she has raised only $2,500. The rest, she says, will require the community’s help.
“Every dollar that is donated is one step closer to my dreams,” Gonzalez says. “I may be traveling alone, but I’ll be carrying my entire community with me.”
Supporters can donate to her campaign at GoFundMe: Help a Blind Tennis Player Compete in Italy & France.
When Gonzalez is not on the court, she balances her job, gym classes, and family, three sons and seven grandchildren, while maintaining a training routine that keeps her competition-ready.
She dreams of one day securing sponsorships from Nike or Adidas, not just for herself but to open doors for others. “In five years, I see myself with an endorsement that supports blind athletes across the U.S.,” she says. “I want to show the world that we belong here, too.”