ITF

30 ITFWorld // SPRING 2019 AS ROGER FEDERER TOASTED BACK-TO-BACK WIMBLEDON SINGLES TITLES BY OVERCOMING ANDY RODDICK ON THE ALL ENGLAND CLUB'S Centre Court, Diede de Groot was tentatively embarking upon a new sport which would transform her life. It was the summer of 2004 and De Groot, who was born with unequal leg length and had undergone a series of hip operations, was exploring wheelchair tennis on the advice of her physiotherapist in a bid to improve movement in her joints. Initially buoyed by the possibility of sharing a court with her tennis-loving grandmother, a fuse was lit within De Groot which has burned brightly ever since and ignited a passion for scooping the grandest of prizes. Sharing the winners' roster with the likes of Federer has become commonplace for the 22-year-old. With five Grand Slam singles titles already in her trophy cabinet, De Groot could not only complete a career Grand Slam at this year's Roland Garros but also hold all four majors at the same time. "When I first started I did not expect any of this to happen," De Groot told ITFWorld. "I just wanted to have fun and when I was seven it was so much fun to be around ITF World Champion Diede de Groot tells Ross McLean about her beginnings in wheelchair tennis and a hunger for success other children who were also in wheelchairs. I wasn't different anymore. "I had a really good group of friends who supported me and always took care of me. But as a kid at that age you do feel like you're different even though they treat you the same. "To be with a group of players, all in a wheelchair and all just starting tennis, was fun and it was really important for me to have that base where I was just happy playing tennis and to feel like a normal kid. Tennis made me feel normal." The significance of having fun is not a throwaway comment. It is something which has characterised De Groot's career and, in her view, proven pivotal since making her Grand Slam debut at the 2017 Australian Open. "When I look back, being at my first Grand Slam was an overwhelming feeling," said De Groot, who began playing on the ITF's UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour in 2009, winning the singles and doubles at the Cruyff Foundation Junior Masters in 2013. "It was crazy to be there in that kind of atmosphere with great athletes like Federer and [Rafael] Nadal. I was not ready to compete or perform very well. "It was the same at Roland Garros that same year. I played a really tough match [against Marjolein Buis] and had some De Groot could complete a career Grand Slam at this year's Roland Garros W H E E L C H A I R T E N N I S De Groot claimed doubles silver at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio 'I didn't want to be different anymore' D I E D E D E G R O O T I N T E R V I E W

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