Vink sweeps all four majors, De Groot ends drought

Low on morale, a crestfallen Niel Vink was questioning why he was even boarding a flight to Paris to pursue a non-calendar Grand Slam.

What a difference a week can make. On Saturday, the Dutchman’s decision to see his commitment through reaped the ultimate reward – a confidence-restoring third Roland-Garros quad singles title leaving him in possession of all four majors.

The 23-year-old couldn’t quite put a finger on when the adversity started to gain the better of him but defeats in three straight tournaments leading in played no small part. His 6-3, 6-4 victory over Ahmet Kaplan on Saturday could not have come at a better time.

“There was a difficult time for me, because when I was on the plane from Barcelona to here, honestly I didn't want to go, because I was not feeling good mentally,” Vink said.

“I don't know why I'm struggling, but it's already from the last few months that on the court I'm not feeling myself, and I enjoy more things outside of the court.

“In Barcelona, it didn't go well. In Munich, it didn't go well. In Japan, I was becoming myself a little bit more. In Barcelona was terrible, because normally it's one of my favourite tournaments, but I didn't want to be there. So I thought, 'oh, Roland-Garros, I want to go home,' but luckily I could change my mind. Here I am with the title.”

Having already completed the career Grand Slam at this year’s Australian Open, Vink faced first-time Slam finalist Kaplan, a 24-year-old chasing his own slice of history.

Kaplan stood to become the first Turkish player to win a major title at any level, but to do so he would have to deny the top two seeds back-to-back having stunned world No.1 Sam Schroder in the semifinals.

Nerves were understandably prevalent for both, particularly through the early stages when two rain delays didn’t help.

Five service breaks in the opening set alone made momentum tough to grasp and even as Vink closed in on recapturing the title he won in 2022 and 2023, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

Thankful in hindsight he boarded that plane, Vink’s ninth quad singles major has only left him looking forward to more.

“In January I completed my Career Golden Slam. Of course my dream is to do it all in one year, and right now I'm two out of four,” he said. “It's two more to go, so hopefully I can achieve it.”

De Groot ends Slam title drought

Diede de Groot likened her return to the champion’s dais as good as therapy after forging a path back to competition following eight months out.

The all-conquering Dutchwoman last lifted a wheelchair singles major trophy at Wimbledon two years ago before hip surgery sidelined her well into 2025.

On Saturday, a year since she made her Grand Slam comeback, De Groot reigned again – her 24th singles major delivered swiftly over first-time finalist Ksenia Chasteau of France.

“I think even some thoughts in my mind went to what am I trying to prove? What am I trying to add to my career? Because it's already been so good,” De Groot said. “How can I top that? Or how can I maybe feel like I'm adding instead of just breaking down. That's a little bit how it felt the last year.

“There were lots of doubts and just trusting the process. I was enjoying this week. I was so happy to be on court every time I was playing a match. That's what's most important, and I think that's what I have to keep in mind for the next however long I play tennis.”

Only the third player after Shingo Kunieda and Esther Vergeer to claim six Roland-Garros titles, it was not lost on De Groot the significance of her achievement.

“Celebrating wheelchair tennis for 50 years this year... looking back, looking at the history of wheelchair tennis, those names, Shingo, Esther, obviously are legends of the sports,” she said.

“It's a funny feeling. I'm still playing. I don't feel like a legend yet, and I would never call myself that, anyway. But just knowing that you're part of something very special, it warms my heart.”

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