After the Paralympic Games in Paris, I decided to undergo hip surgery. It was a tough decision because, for a top athlete, stepping away from competition—even temporarily—is never easy. But living with daily pain was no longer an option. To the outside world, it may have seemed like I disappeared off the radar for a while, but behind the scenes, I’ve been anything but idle. Time for an update!
I have…
✅ completed my rehabilitation program, including physiotherapy. ✅ taken an unforgettable trip to the beautiful Costa Rica. ✅ contributed as a city ambassador for thirty030 to make Utrecht a better, safer, and more accessible place. ✅ visited sponsors—great to have the time to catch up with everyone! ✅ spent my first hours back on the tennis court. ✅ started researching the right adjustments for my wheelchair now that my hip has a different alignment.
In other words: I’m steadily making my way back to the tennis court. I’ve missed the game, but this period has also brought me a lot.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced Italian Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek of
Poland as the 2024 ITF World Champions presented by UNIQLO. This is the first time that Sinner has
received the men’s honour, while Swiatek becomes women’s World Champion for a second time.
The ITF World Champions are selected based on objective criteria considering all results from the
season, placing special emphasis on Grand Slam tournaments, the ITF’s World Cup of Tennis
competitions Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, the Olympic Tennis Event and
Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event.
Sinner becomes the first Italian man or woman to be named singles World Champion. He achieved
the world No. 1 year-end ranking for the first time, after winning two Grand Slam titles at the
Australian Open and US Open, the ATP Finals, and boasting a 73-6 win-loss record for the year. He
led Italy to their second successive Davis Cup triumph in Malaga.
Swiatek narrowly edged out year-end No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to become women’s World Champion having previously received this honour in 2022. The Polish player captured her fourth Roland Garros title by the age of 23, and won four WTA 1000 titles during the year. She saved some of her best performances when representing her country, winning a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Tennis Event and leading Poland to the Billie Jean King Cup semifinals in Malaga.
Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia, and Italian duo Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini are named doubles World Champions.
Arevalo and Pavic enjoyed a dream debut season as a pairing in 2024, winning Roland Garros and
three other titles, and reaching the final of the ATP Finals to end the year as the No. 1 team. This is an
historic first ITF World Champion award for El Salvador, while Pavic is World Champion for a second
time having won with compatriot Nikola Mektic in 2021.
Errani and Paolini’s outstanding performances for Italy see them emerge as World Champions. The
duo won an historic gold medal at Paris 2024, and went on to lead Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup
title in Malaga, winning two deciding doubles matches. This is the fourth time 37-year-old Errani has
been named women’s doubles World Champion, having won three awards with compatriot Roberta
Vinci.
Tokito Oda of Japan, and Dutch duo Diede De Groot and Sam Schroder are wheelchair World Champions in the men’s, women’s and quad categories respectively by ending the year at No. 1 on the single rankings.
Eighteen-year-old Oda becomes the youngest ever wheelchair World Champion after winning men’s
singles gold at Paris 2024, and two of the year’s three Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and
Roland Garros. Despite an injury-hit year, De Groot is named World Champion for the sixth successive occasion, winning her 16th successive Slam at Wimbledon and securing the silver medal
in Paris.
Schroder edged out compatriot Niels Vink to become quad World Champion for the first time, after winning the Australian Open, and finishing as runner-up at the Paralympics, Roland Garros and
Wimbledon.
Nicolai Budkov Kjaer of Norway and Australian Emerson Jones are named junior World Champions as the year-end No. 1 players.
Budkov Kjaer is the first Norwegian World Champion in any category, after an outstanding Grand
Slam junior season that saw him win Wimbledon, reach the finals at the US Open and semifinals at
the Australian Open. Jones, still only 16, was also rewarded for her performances at the biggest
events, winning the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals in Chengdu and reaching the final of the
Australian Open and Wimbledon.
ITF President David Haggerty said: “Congratulations to all our 2024 ITF World Champions. Last year
was a memorable year for our sport with the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games alongside
our traditional team events, and we see with several of our award winners that representing their
country inspired them to even greater achievements in 2024. We wish these and all players every
success in 2025.”
Thank you for all the support I received this year. I look back on a year full of action: achieving great titles, participating in the Paralympic Games, undergoing surgery, and working on recovery.
Wishing you an amazing 2025, also full of action!
Photo: ITF Kopatsch/Molter
Paris 2024 Paralympic wheelchair tennis event, 04.09.24 in Paris. Diede de Groot (NED) (Photo by Daniel Kopatsch)
Halfway through the conversation, wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot says: “For a year leading up to the Paralympic Games, I thought: I can endure the pain for another year. I’ll give it my all for gold, and after that, I’ll have time to invest in my body.” Read more…
After 10 wonderful years, the collaboration between Amanda and me comes to an end. Together, we have been on an incredible journey. A journey full of growth, perseverance and unforgettable highlights.
Amanda has not only coached and guided me as a top athlete, but also helped me mature. In the beginning, there were many big steps to make, both on and off the court. Then she gave me stability and confidence when I needed it the most, and together we achieved the highest possible. From those first training days in Alphen aan den Rijn to the finest titles at Grand Slams and the Paralympics, her support was indispensable. I am grateful for the faith Amanda had in me from the beginning. Amanda has been named “ITF coach of the year” several times, but for me she has been coach of the year every year.
So we will no longer continue together in the role of private coach and pupil. This gives the time for both of us to explore new possibilities. I am sure this trajectory and our bond will continue to help us in the future.
In recent years I have worked very hard to keep my body and mind in optimal shape and this has brought me a lot in tennis and beyond. Unfortunately, I have been struggling with severe osteoarthritis in my hip for almost two years. Surgery is something I have been postponing for a long time, but postponing is no longer an option.
During my rehabilitation I will enjoy everything that ‘normal’ life has to offer. Dancing, laughing, holidays, hobbies, studies and even more dancing.
From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank you for all the love I have received. For now, I’m going to find another cherry for my cake.
Source: TeamNL
On Sunday Cyclist Tristan Bangma and tennis player Diede de Groot carry the Dutch flag into the Stade de France during the closing ceremony of the Paris Paralympic Games. This has been announced by chef de mission Esther Vergeer today. Read More…
Wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot has not been able to prolong her title at the Paralympic Games. In the final, played in a full Philippe-Chatrier stadium, she lost in three sets to Japan’s Yui Kamiji 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Read more…
A big surprise in wheelchair tennis: after a intense battle on the court Philippe Chatrier, Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot have lost the battle for the Paralympic gold in the doubles. With that, they will not prolong their title from Tokyo 2021. Read More….
The Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8, 2024. More than four thousand top athletes compete in Paris and 32 of them participate in my category. I can hardly wait to take action on the courts of Roland Garros!
Do you like to always be informed about the Paralympic Games? Here are some tips! Click HERE for the list of participants of the wheelchair tennis tournament. Click HERE for the results of the wheelchair tennis tournament. Click HERE to follow the entire TeamNL. Click HERE for the schedule of the Uniek Sporten radio program. Click HERE for the schedule of the TV programs of NOS Studio Para Parijs.
