BATON ROUGE - The Cajun Classic wheelchair tennis tournament wrapped up Sunday after a week-long competition where precision, agility and spirit reign supreme.

Charlie Cooper, a Cajun Classic amateur competitor, says he trains six times a week with about two to three hours of on court training everyday, and two to three days in the gym.

Cooper was born with spina bifida, a birth defect in which a developing baby's spinal cord fails to develop properly. Yet, Cooper didn't allow his disability to tear him down.

"The doctors told me I would never be able to walk," Cooper said. "After hearing that, it was tough for my parents. So of course I did classes on how to walk. Sooner or later, I was able to walk. Which is a miracle."

Many wheelchair tennis athletes suffer from conditions that prohibit them from playing sports. That was until they discovered wheelchair tennis.

This sport has been around since 1976 when Brad Parks, a freestyle skier, had an accident. The Cajun Classic has been around for 33 years and invites the top-ranked professional athletes, including several Grand Slam winners, to compete.

Tournament director Jennifer Edmonson started out as a volunteer for the sport. She says, the competitor's spirit and ability to overcome adversity is the reason she joined this organization.

"It was contagious and infectious, and it just fills your soul," Edmonson said.

Alfie Hewett won the men's division, Diede de Groot won the women's and Sam Schröder won the quad.