Diede de Groot, the invincible Dutchwoman who became a wheelchair tennis legend – Libération

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Since the last Paralympic Games, from which she left as a double gold medallist, the Dutchwoman has only lost one match, winning all the Grand Slams she has played. She faces Japan’s Yui Kamiji in the semi-finals this Wednesday, September 4.

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We have not tried to gauge the popularity in France of each of the 4,400 athletes participating in the Paralympic Games. But it is a safe bet that Diede de Groot would have been fairly high up on this long list. The French do not necessarily know her for her lengthy list of achievements – 23 Grand Slams in singles, as many as Serena Williams. Her name does not mean much to many people either. Her face, on the other hand, has been seen by many on their screens for the past two years, around the end of May, half a dozen times a day.

On France 2 or France 3, before or after the Roland-Garros matches, between games or sets, the Dutchwoman appeared in a wheelchair in a Renault advert, hitting the ball with Luca Van Assche, Félix Auger-Aliassime or Casper Ruud. To the point of tiring the viewer – the advert is rather well done, but on the 154th time, Etienne Daho’s song