'I've dreamed of this since I was a kid': Vink seals quad singles gold
Niels Vink is the new king of the quad division after backing up his doubles gold alongside Sam Schroder with a stunning singles victory against his partner-turned-opponent which saw him crowned Paralympic champion.
Vink was in astonishingly ruthless form on Court Philippe Chatrier as he dispatched world No. 1 Schroder 6-0 6-1 – a scarcely believable scoreline given the quality his rival, friend and compatriot possesses
As a result, the 21-year-old is the first Dutch player to win a Paralympic quad singles gold medal and the ninth Dutch player overall across all wheelchair categories to top a Paralympic singles podium.
Vink is in esteemed company with Esther Vergeer, Robin Ammerlaan, Diede de Groot, Jiske Griffioen, Monique van den Bosch, Chantal Vandierendonck, Ricky Molier and Maaike Smit the other Dutch gold medallists.
“This is the prize I always dreamed of when I was a little kid, so this is so beautiful,” said Vink, who won quad singles bronze on his Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020.
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“This was my best match ever. I was feeling so good coming into the final, but I didn’t expect to play that well. Sam did a great job and was fighting until the end. It’s difficult when you are losing like that, but he fought until the end and all credit to him.
“I couldn’t have played any better. I am so happy that I won that match and as soon as I saw the gold medal I was like, ‘whoa, it’s mine’ and when I was given it all the emotion started. Then the national anthem came, and I couldn’t stop the tears."
An interested onlooker was Dylan Alcott, a former rock star of the quad division who won four Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis medals during a trophy-laden career including gold at Tokyo 2020 after beating Schroder in the final.
He was at Roland Garros after being given the honour of performing Les Trois Coups – the banging of a wooden baton on the ground which signals the start of the day’s action. His presence clearly proved an inspiration.
“When I came onto the Tour, Dylan was the world No. 1 and he was the best,” said Vink, who contracted a bacterial infection – meningococcal sepsis – at the age of just one and as a result lost both legs and several phalanges.
“I was never able to beat him. That hurt but I don’t care anymore as I have this gold medal. Off court, we’re really good friends. It’s a little bit sad that he lives in Australia otherwise we could meet up more.
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“When he was on the Tour, we spent a lot of time together. We had so much fun and he was a big inspiration. He was in my box in the first set, there to cheer for me. That gave me a lot of energy.
“Dylan used to be the best but now it’s me and Sam at the top of the quad division and I think we’re doing a great job being the face of quad wheelchair tennis.”
Paralympic gold follows Vink’s conquering of Wimbledon in July. However, it had been a difficult season up until then due to leg and elbow injuries earlier in the year. His coach Hans-Jurgen Striek also had health issues.
Striek has overseen Vink’s rise to the top of the sport and his illness had a profound effect on his protégé. Striek's health has thankfully improved and his presence at Wimbledon visibly lifted Vink and propelled his victory charge. The same applied here.
“My coach is by far my biggest influence,” said Vink, whose interest in wheelchair tennis was piqued when he attended London 2012 with his mother and he saw the sport first hand.
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“It’s because of him that I’m here. He came on the court and I jumped into his arms. I started with him when I was 15 years old, when I was a junior coming up.
“He’s like a second father to me. I see him so many times and we’re together every day. He sometimes sees me more than he sees his own daughters. My relationship with him is very special.”
On the other side of the net, despite being unable to upgrade the quad singles silver medal he won at Tokyo 2020, Schroder was magnanimous in defeat. The 24-year-old, whose Paralympic time will surely come, acknowledged the quality Vink showed was gold-medal worthy.
“I am very emotional because I really wanted to win,” said world No.1 Schroder. “I felt like I gave my best but Niels was just too good today. It’s not like I played really bad or anything, but it sucks to know that my best wasn’t enough.
“Nevertheless, I am very proud of a silver medal. Any medal at the Paralympics is great. I can still be very proud of this medal even if I didn’t improve on my result from Tokyo.
“I know my level has improved tremendously over the past couple of years. I know that I put in a lot of hard work to try and get gold. If I hadn’t done that then I wouldn’t have even won bronze today. I can still be proud.”