Wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot wins prestigious prize for best athlete with a disability

Yesterday at 2:30 PM · Omroep West

ALPHEN AAN DEN RIJN – Wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot has won the Oscar for athlete of the year with a disability. The 27-year-old Woerdense, who is affiliated with the Alphen tennis club Nieuwe Sloot, received the corresponding silver statue at the presentation of the prestigious Laureus Awards in Madrid. De Groot had been nominated before, but this time she was recognized for her performance.

In 2023, De Groot won 53 matches in a row and was the best in all four Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open. De Groot joins Esther Vergeer as Dutch winners of the Oscar as an athlete with a disability. Vergeer won the Laureus Award as a wheelchair tennis player in 2002 and 2008.

De Groot received the prize from Ruud Gullit and was surprised afterwards during an interview with the NOS by a congratulations from top tennis player Novak Djokovic, who won the prize for best male athlete of the year, beating Max Verstappen, among others. The number one tennis player in the world called De Groot, herself the best wheelchair tennis player in the world, an inspiration and a great ambassador for the sport.

Also read: Diede de Groot thunders through and wins Wimbledon