'Feels like home': De Groot seals 15th consecutive Grand Slam title
Always Like Never Before is Wimbledon’s campaign slogan and it certainly resonates, yet there are certain things you can set your watch by. Diede de Groot winning a Grand Slam title is most definitely one of them.
Following a 6-4 6-4 victory over fellow Dutchwoman Aniek van Koot in the women’s wheelchair singles final on Court No. 1, insatiable silverware-hunter De Groot has been crowned Wimbledon champion again.
It is the 27-year-old’s sixth Wimbledon singles title and her fourth in succession, while her latest triumph takes her overall Grand Slam singles tally to 23 – five shy of Shingo Kunieda’s overall record of 28. This follows breaking the women's record of 21 held by Esther Vergeer at last month's Roland Garros.
With time very much on her side, it is highly likely that De Groot will surge beyond Kunieda’s record at some stage and secure an even loftier place within the pantheon of wheelchair tennis greats.
After all, this was De Groot’s 15th consecutive Grand Slam title – a remarkable feat – and it extends her record for the longest Grand Slam singles title winning streak in history. She claimed sole ownership of the record at the 2023 Aussie Open.
“This feels really special,” said De Groot. “Wimbledon will always be my favourite. I won my first Grand Slam title here but, also, I like the magical feeling of Wimbledon where the history, the ways they do things, is so original.
“It's so authentic here. No other Grand Slam has that and that's what Wimbledon brings. The feeling of winning my first Grand Slam here is also just so special and it feels like home because I have family who live here.
“In addition, Wimbledon have been really trying to make wheelchair tennis into something big. They were the first Grand Slam I know to play the final on a show court.
“Alfie (Hewett) and Gordon (Reid) have been a huge help for that because they showed that Court No. 1 could be filled with people enjoying wheelchair tennis. That is why we (the women’s draw) got the chance to do the same.”
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Ever since De Groot was beaten at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup by China, P.R.’s Li Xiaohui in May, ending an incredible 145-match winning streak, there has been renewed hope from her rivals that she may indeed be fallible.
She also lost to Kamiji at last week's British Open but has still claimed back-to-back Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. In fact, De Groot has now won 15 straight Grand Slams.
“This year has been a little bit different than other years where I've basically been unbeaten, and then this year I was beaten,” added De Groot.
“I know that all of these players are trying their absolute best to beat me and Aniek was playing very well. I think everyone saw that she was doing the right things.”
Indeed, Van Koot entered the clash having won just one of the pair’s 15 previous Grand Slam meetings, although that triumph did come in the 2019 final. Despite defeat, Van Koot managed to land some serious blows against her illustrious opponent.
“I knew it was going to be a tough final because yesterday Aniek beat the No. 2 in the world [Yui Kamiji],” said De Groot. “She was serving really well, so I knew she could do a lot of damage, and she did in some moments.
“I started both sets well, did everything well, but Aniek just started hitting winners. I had to adjust and, maybe if I was on an outside court at a tournament not so important I would maybe start swearing. It was difficult at times.”
De Groot has already claimed the Australian Open and Roland Garros titles in 2024. In most other years that would mean she was just one away from a calendar slam.
However, with no wheelchair tennis being played at the US Open due to the Paralympic Games, which get underway on 30 August, her next opportunity to win a Grand Slam will be in January at the Australian Open.
That said, three Grand Slams and a Paralympic gold – De Groot already has two to her name – as well as a significant number of other titles would hardly be a bad haul for the world No. 1.
As ever with De Groot, the priority now is not the next prize but identifying scope for progress. On this occasion, that advancement revolves around improvement in her clay-court game.
“I really struggled through the clay season this year,” said De Groot. “I mentally was a little bit scared. That's why I'm really happy that this week I stepped up, even though the players played really well.
“I played some longer matches like today, but that wasn't my fault – Aniek played well. I'm really happy with this week, so I'm going to build on this. Go back to clay, so it's different surface, but continue with the same mindset.”