Nothing against Novak Djokovic. A great athlete who pulverizes almost every record that comes his way. After the 36-year-old won a Grand Slam tournament for the 24th time at the last US Open, he rightly received the Laureus award as Sportsman of the Year 2023 this week.
And yet there is one who plays much more successfully than the serial record breaker from Serbia. Her name is Diede de Groot, she’s Dutch and she kills everything that comes her way at tennis tournaments. De Groot has won the last 14 Grand Slam tournaments, she has achieved three times in a row what Djokovic has been striving for in vain for x years: the Grand Slam, i.e. winning all four major tournaments within one year. She also won individual gold in Tokyo in 2021.
The 27-year-old suffered her last defeat in January 2021 and has been undefeated in 142 matches since then.
At her Laureus honor as a 2023 sports person with a disability, wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot said: “This is a reminder that I can do anything with the biggest smile on my face, just like anyone else on their journey.” With inner cheerfulness Success is a role model for us.