De Groot gets hands on ITF World Champion trophy and aims for more
Her acceptance speech was short and sweet, but that is how trophy-laden Diede de Groot operates – she very much lets her tennis do the talking and that tends to speak volumes.
By her own ridiculous standards, 2024 was probably a campaign that could have gone better, but it was still one that brought more silverware than most players could dream of in a lifetime.
Her output saw her crowned ITF World Champion presented by UNIQLO for the sixth successive year and she was handed her trophy by Netherlands teammate Aniek van Koot at the recent BNP Paribas World Team Cup.
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The 2025 World Team Cup saw De Groot make her much-anticipated return to competitive action for the first time since September 2024 after the 28-year-old underwent hip surgery in the aftermath of the Paralympic Games.
De Groot was inevitably front and centre as Netherlands claimed the World Team Cup women’s title for an incredible 34th time, suggesting that she will be lifting more than her fair share of silverware in the coming months.
“I have just got my hands on the ITF World Champion trophy for 2024,” said De Groot.
“It was amazing to end the season as the world No. 1 again and I am so happy to be a part of the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour. I hope to have many more years of winning trophies.”
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De Groot won all three of the Grand Slams contested in 2024 – the US Open was not played as it coincided with the Paralympic Games. The Dutchwoman has now won the last 15 Grand Slams she has competed in.
The Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon were conquered once again, while few could have argued against the potential of a fourth successive calendar Grand Slam had the US Open indeed been played.
But it was not, and De Groot had to be content with two silver medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Tennis Event after slipping to defeat against Japan’s Yui Kamiji in an absorbing women’s singles final.
It was a similar story in the women’s doubles final as Kamiji and Manami Tanaka joined forces to great effect to outmanoeuvre De Groot and Van Koot and deny the Dutch pair back-to-back doubles gold medals.
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By that stage, De Groot’s incredible winning streak which stretched 145 matches had already fallen after she was beaten by Li Xiaohui of China, P.R. during the women’s final at the 2024 World Team Cup.
That said, it is worth stopping for a moment and reflecting once more upon that statistic because a 145-match winning streak, which began in February 2021 and included two invincible seasons, is a stunning return and remarkable achievement.
While there were undoubted disappointments for De Groot in 2024, three Grand Slam singles titles, eight singles titles overall – including three at Super Series level – and two Paralympic silver medals is not to be sniffed at.
She also finished the season as the year-end No. 1 to secure ITF World Champion status – the trophy is awarded to the most outstanding players in a given season – yet again.
It is great to have you back on court, Diede.