Shingo Kunieda & Diede de Groot: Wheelchair tennis champs
Did you know that wheelchair tennis is practised in more than 100 countries all over the world? 🌎
Two wheelchair tennis legends, Shingo Kunieda and Diede de Groot, are inspiring the world…
One game – and one record title – at a time! 🏆
Shingo Kunieda
Born in Tokyo, Japan, Shingo was 9 years old when he underwent surgery that left him unable to use his legs.
He loved basketball, but unfortunately he could not find a wheelchair team to join… But that didn’t stop him from playing basketball with his friends after school!
As they say, where there is a will there’s a way. ❤️
His mother suggested that he try wheelchair tennis instead, and he started playing at 11 – entering his first tournament just 1 year later!
Even though he lost in the 1st round, he had discovered a new passion, and that was a win in itself.
His records
Between 2008 and 2010, he broke the record for the most consecutive wheelchair tennis men's singles match wins - 106! 🥳
But that’s not Shingo’s only record. In his 21-year career, he also broke the title for the most Grand Slam wheelchair tennis titles – 50. 🤯
As if that wasn’t enough, he also became the first men’s wheelchair tennis player to complete a singles Career Grand Slam and Career Golden Slam.
"I don’t think of them as wheelchairs; they’re my legs."
- Shingo Kunieda
Diede de Groot
Diede started wheelchair tennis at the age of 7 - she was really dedicated and would practise for hours and hours, until she became very agile and strong!🎾
Her first record was being the first wheelchair tennis player to complete a Career Grand Slam in singles.
But she didn’t stop there…
A Golden Slam is one of the rarest and hardest achievements in tennis – it means that one player won all four major tennis titles plus an Olympic or Paralympic gold, all in one year. 🥇
Sounds impossible, and yet, that’s exactly what Diede did, gaining the record for the first wheelchair tennis Golden Slam in singles!
More records
As you can tell, unstoppable Diede has broken a few more records since, including becoming the first consecutive calendar-year Grand Slam tennis champion.
At the age of just 26, there’s no telling just how many titles Diede can go on to collect!
Can you make a guess? 🤔
Even so, Diede says that it’s not about chasing numbers and we couldn’t agree more – what’s more important is chasing your passions and always trying your best. 🧡
You can find out more about Shingo and Diede's amazing records in Guinness World Records 2024, out now!
"I’m not chasing numbers… Maybe I get them, maybe I don’t, [but] I don’t want that to affect how I view my career."
- Diede de Groot
