In 2023 Diede de Groot became the first tennis player in any discipline to win three successive calendar Grand Slams.
She was unbeaten in 53 singles matches during the calendar year, creating a winning streak stretching back 127 matches to the start of the 2021 Australian Open.
De Groot became the second wheelchair tennis star – after Esther Vergeer’s success in 2008 and 2002 – to be honoured as the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.
“I wanted to congratulate you and tell you that you’re an inspiration to me,” Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Novak Djokovic said to his fellow Award winner.
“It’s amazing, an incredible story of resilience and the power of your mind is something that’s truly remarkable. Keep going, you’re inspiring a lot of people.”
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