Vink relishing Paralympic challenge alongside coach and mentor Striek
Following his Wimbledon triumph in July, Dutchman Niels Vink revealed how much he loves to party and how he can be found on top of a bar with a microphone in hand when the moment takes him – and he wants to celebrate.
That scene is a step closer being played out in the French capital after Vink defeated South Africa’s Lucas Sithole 6-0 6-2 in the opening round of the quad singles here at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event.
Vink, a bronze medal winner at Tokyo in the quad singles but a proud owner of a career Grand Slam in doubles, will now face Robert Shaw of Canada, who overcame Brazil’s Ymanitu Silva, in the quarter-finals.
The 21-year-old, who contracted a bacterial infection – meningococcal sepsis – at the age of just one and as a result lost both legs and several phalanges, has enjoyed a blistering return to singles form in recent months.
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Vink conquered all before him at Wimbledon after enduring a difficult campaign due to injury. He suffered leg and elbow problems earlier in the year, while his coach, Hans-Jurgen Striek, has 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 improved and his presence at Wimbledon visibly lifted Vink and propelled his victory charge, with the hope he can do the same here.
“I remember when I was here at Roland Garros in June, he was not with me and I didn't want to be here,” said Vink. “I was not in the mood – my tennis was not there and my head was not here.
“At Wimbledon, everything was good, and we trained together the last couple of weeks. He’s now here with me and it's feeling so good. It feels like a normal tournament.
“At the moment, I'm feeling good and everything is going the right way, but I will take it match by match. Today the match was closer than the scoreline suggests, but on the important points I was there at my highest level.”
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Vink has yet to feature on either Court Philippe Chatrier or Court Suzanne Lenglen at Paris 2024, but for those who did today they were competing in front of sell-out crowds.
“It’s amazing to see how many people are coming to watch the Paralympic Games,” added Vink.
"Also yesterday, I was on Chatrier to watch Maarten Ter Hofte against Frederic Cattaneo. The stadium was full and the atmosphere was so good.
"It’s so good that people are watching wheelchair tennis and hopefully, in the future, it will also happen at the other tournaments as well."
Few could argue with those sentiments.