The 21st century
Netherlands · born Woerden, 1985 · first Wimbledon women's wheelchair singles champion, 2016 · three Wimbledon doubles titles
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2016
First women's wheelchair singles champion at Wimbledon
16
Major doubles titles, 2006 to 2024
106
Weeks as world No. 1 in singles
2
Gold medals at the Rio Paralympics
Born in Woerden in 1985, Griffioen played wheelchair basketball for the Netherlands at the Sydney Paralympics at 14, then chose tennis because, she said, it "was a little bit more challenging at the time". She turned professional in 2001 and won 16 major doubles titles, the first in Melbourne in 2006 with Esther Vergeer, and completed the doubles Grand Slam with Aniek van Koot in 2013. Singles success came later: the Australian Open in 2015 and 2016, Roland Garros in 2015 and 106 weeks as world No. 1. At Rio in 2016 she won Paralympic gold in singles and doubles. She retired in 2017, returned in 2019 and won the 2024 Australian Open doubles with Diede de Groot.
| Major singles titles | 1: Wimbledon (2016) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 1: Wimbledon (2023) |
| Major doubles titles | 3: Wimbledon (2012, 2013, 2023) |
| Wimbledon doubles partners | 2012 and 2013 with Aniek van Koot; 2023 with Diede de Groot |
| Wimbledon doubles finals lost | 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016 with Aniek van Koot; 2024 with Diede de Groot |
| Finals to remember | 2016: beat Aniek van Koot 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 in the first women's wheelchair singles final at Wimbledon. 2023: won the doubles with Diede de Groot, 6-1, 6-4 against Yui Kamiji and Kgothatso Montjane |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Women's wheelchair doubles | with Aniek van Koot |
| 2013 | Women's wheelchair doubles | with Aniek van Koot |
| 2016 | Women's wheelchair singles | |
| 2023 | Women's wheelchair doubles | with Diede de Groot |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"There was no dream for me as a junior player to win Roland Garros or Wimbledon."
The person behind the player.
Sydney 2000
Her first Paralympics came at 14, in the Dutch wheelchair basketball team in Sydney. She chose tennis afterwards because "I just thought wheelchair tennis was a little bit more challenging at the time", and has never quite left the other game behind: "I think I still love both sports very much."
Source: Mubadala Abu Dhabi OpenThe early tour
She remembers the circuit before wheelchair events came to the Grand Slams: "We were playing small tournaments. There were no crowds." Coaching was shared too: "We were sharing a coach with 10 players." As a junior, she says, winning Roland Garros or Wimbledon was not even a dream.
Source: Mubadala Abu Dhabi OpenRio 2016
At her fourth Paralympics she beat Aniek van Koot for the singles gold, a few weeks after beating her in the Wimbledon final. The two then won the doubles together, Griffioen's first Paralympic doubles gold after silver medals in Beijing and London.
Source: International Paralympic Committee2017 to 2019
She retired in 2017 because she "did not feel the fire anymore", and said she would never return to full-time tennis. Gym training changed her mind: "it was really boring, so I thought I'd play a little bit of tennis because it is more fun." Hitting with players still on tour gave her the itch to compete again.
Source: ITFWimbledon 2022
Her first Wimbledon match win since the comeback came against van Koot, 6-2, 6-2, in the quarter-finals. "I found it really hard to come back," she said. Friends had asked whether she was sure; she was not the youngest, she admitted, but she "wanted to leave on my own terms".
Source: ITFAbu Dhabi 2026
In February 2026, at 40, she reached the final of the Mubadala Wheelchair Tennis Invitational at Zayed Sports City, beating MarÃa Angélica Bernal to set up a match with the world No. 1, Yui Kamiji. "Everybody has been so welcoming," she said of the event.
Source: Mubadala Abu Dhabi OpenFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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