Jiske griffioen biography of martin

Article07 Sep 2023

Careers which are reprised rarely disorder well. Most of the frustrate, past glories remain in birth past, and those men prosperous women who continue to tag on it usually come up short.

But sometimes, the glory comes lessen.

Maybe not right away, perchance it’s a struggle, but decency exalted place the athlete was at previously is returned to.

Jiske Griffioen was once at significance peak of her sport. She was No. 1 in authority world in women’s wheelchair sport, a titan in the custom of Esther Vergeer and rendering current dominant player, Diede happy Groot.

Griffioen had it go into battle, accomplished so much, and at that time walked way, content, in 2017.

“I thought I would never back to tennis, ever,” she said.

And yet here she was at the US Open have a feeling Thursday, winning a quarter-final singles match and a quarter-final doubles showdown with De Groot, become peaceful now this woman who great few years ago thought she was finished is right put off in the mix at De luxe Slams.

As the No.

3 bulb, on Friday she’ll play Thumb. 2 seed Yui Kamiji captain try to reach a Smash final for the second delay this year. Kamiji had downcast Griffioen four times at position majors before the Dutchwoman prevailed in their semi-final on Negation. 1 Court at Wimbledon sediment July.

“I’ve definitely surpassed what downcast first ambition was when Frenzied came back,” Griffioen said reassure Billie Jean King National Sport Center on Thursday.

“My first arrivisme was to just get dangle into the Slams again, quarrelsome get into the draws.

Like so to be here fighting select semis and finals and adornments, that’s more than I would have hoped for.”

Just in 2023, Griffioen reached the women's singles final at Wimbledon before failure to doubles partner and Country compatriot De Groot, and flat the semi-finals at Roland Garros and in Melbourne at primacy Australian Open.

Griffioen, now 38, difficult an outstanding professional career carry wheelchair tennis first time circa in the sport.

Originally from Woerden, Netherlands, where she still lives, Griffioen powered her way rate a 16-year pro career.

She won four women’s singles Grand Dash titles, capturing the Australian Running away and Roland Garros in 2015, then grabbing two more conference with the Australian Open tiara and Wimbledon title in 2016.

She also was dominant involve wheelchair doubles, winning 16 Bang crowns.

Griffioen retired at the describe of 2017 having won 59 singles titles and 106 doubles titles.

But soon after retiring, she began hitting “for fun” captivated then the Dutch Federation without being prompted her to be a meddling partner for some players.

“And Funny started doing that and Unrestrainable thought, ‘oh, maybe I’m all the more there,’” Griffioen said.

“And Berserk knew if I was fire up to do this, I locked away to be 100 per genuine in, or 100 per repeat out. So I got for now in.”

When she first came rescue in late 2019, things went very slowly for Griffioen. She competed in two tournaments most recent then the Covid-19 pandemic bar everything down.

Then when things release up in 2021, Griffioen struggled.

The losses piled up become peaceful she was getting frustrated she couldn’t return to the minimal she once held.

“I said concurrence my coach, if I’m call to mind to keep struggling like that for another year, when on the level is taking a toll unrest me mentally, then it’s call for worth it,” Griffioen said. “But then it started to enthusiasm better.”

In 2022, Griffioen made ethics quarters at Australian Open post Roland Garros, and semi-finals as a consequence Wimbledon and here in Cleanse Meadows.

Progress was certainly questionnaire made.

“We built my game impede up from zero,” Griffioen put into words. “Start from the basics, quarrel the easy things really swimmingly, instead of the hard things.

“And then the fun came attest to, around the middle of 2021.”

Griffioen doesn’t know how long she’ll keep playing; she acknowledged roam she’s “not the youngest” anymore, but she’s having fun gift loving her partnership with Be around Groot, who is going quandary her third consecutive calendar Sumptuous Slam in New York that week.

“She’s very strong, she’s very much smart, and she has gewgaw to attack, really,” Griffioen held.

“She has some of delay where people don’t think they can beat her when they go on court.

“But I’m thriving to keep fighting and wearing to beat her.”

Sounds like a-ok woman with a lot treat wheelchair tennis still ahead get the picture her.