With 41 Grand Slam titles – 22 in singles – among her many tennis milestones, Diede De Groot has set new records at practically every tournament she contests.

But there’s no place like Wimbledon for the 27-year-old, who returns to the All England Club as a winner of five wheelchair ladies’ singles titles and defending champion for the past three years.

“It’s always very special to come back here. I somehow feel most at home at Wimbledon,” said De Groot, the world No.1 in both singles and doubles. “It’s where of course I had my first very big win, my first Grand Slam win.”

De Groot, from the Netherlands, has since lifted trophies in SW19 in each year she has visited, with three doubles titles (the latest, in 2023, claimed with countrywoman Aniek Van Koot) also decorating her record. Her only loss in singles was to Van Koot in the 2019 final.

But the magic of Wimbledon is about more than numbers for the history-making champion. “It’s a feeling,” De Groot explained of her special connection to the grass court Grand Slam.

“It’s like a culture where the grass brings so much peace, but also the history here. I feel like every little grass piece is cut by hand and so much effort goes into the tournament that I think it’s only natural that this is my favourite one.”

Any conversation with the quietly spoken De Groot inevitably turns to her jaw-dropping – and unparalleled – milestones, including the Golden Slam (all four major singles titles and a Paralympic gold medal) she claimed in 2021.

Between February 2021 and May this year, she built a streak of 145 straight singles match wins.

“I try not to think about records, but then there’s lots of people reminding me,” De Groot said. “When I’m playing tennis I try to just put that to the side and play my game. That’s how I think I can focus best.

“I just try to keep working and then hopefully add to the records instead of thinking or worrying about them too much.”

Tokito Oda, the defending wheelchair men’s singles champion at Wimbledon, agrees with De Groot’s approach.

The Japanese teenager is already a winner of four Grand Slam singles titles; the first, at Roland-Garros in 2023, made the then 17-year-old the youngest man to lift a Grand Slam singles trophy in any discipline.

Oda enters The Championships as the winner of both Grand Slam singles tournaments to have taken place already this year, with a maiden Australian Open trophy achieved with victory over defending champion Alfie Hewett in the final. Oda defeated Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez to defend his Roland-Garros title from 2023.

Having celebrated his 18th birthday in May, Oda’s rapidly growing record is astonishing.

“I’m taking care of that but I’m just enjoying every moment,” the world No.1 said, “because I don’t care about needing to get all the titles. I’m still young and I need to enjoy every moment.”

Niels Vink, the winner over Australia’s Heath Davidson in the Wimbledon 2023 quad wheelchair singles final, also cherishes every moment in his still-young tennis career.

“It feels amazing to be back here,” said the 21-year-old, who can feel his best form returning after overcoming some injuries earlier this year.

“I had a really good tournament (in 2023), a very high level on the grass. And of course, I was very happy to win my first Wimbledon title.”

Vink is also happy to be part of an influential group of Dutch players creating history in wheelchair tennis. His countryman, Sam Schroder, claimed the Wimbledon quad wheelchair singles title in 2022.

Vink and Schroder have also won eight Grand Slam quad wheelchair doubles finals together, including Wimbledon in the past two years. “It’s good to have two Dutchies, two young guys on the tour,” Vink said. “Last year we played a lot of finals against each other.”

While neither De Groot nor Vink can pinpoint what’s driven such success for the Netherlands – “Maybe it’s because we are such a small nation and we train together,” reasoned Vink – both appreciate the inspiration that a legendary Dutch predecessor provided.

Esther Vergeer was honoured with the prestigious ITF Philippe Chatrier Award during Sunday’s 2024 ITF World Champions Awards at the Natural History Museum in London.

“She’s been a big influence. I don’t think I can say anything else,” said De Groot, who watched many of Vergeer’s matches on YouTube. “She was the Paralympic role model not just for tennis, but just any Paralympic sports in Holland … for me that was very special to have someone that close.”

The progress of De Groot, Oda, Vink and other talented wheelchair professionals is equally special; they’ll aim to add to their impressive records when the Wimbledon wheelchair singles events begin at the All England Club on Tuesday.