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How Diede de Groot won an unprecedented back-to-back calendar grand slam | CNN

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How Diede de Groot won an unprecedented back-to-back calendar grand slam | CNN



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At first look, profitable appears impossibly simple for Diede de Groot; an nearly nonchalant behavior of 69 consecutive victories, yielding a Golden Slam – all 4 grand slams and a Paralympic gold medal – in 2021, adopted by a calendar grand slam in 2022.

Collectively, these achievements amounted to a back-to-back calendar grand slam by no means earlier than achieved in tennis as De Groot accomplished the set with victory at this 12 months’s US Open within the wheelchair ladies’s singles, confirming her standing as essentially the most dominant participant of her technology.

However within the wake of such a powerful run, profitable each event she enters has turn out to be anticipated, creating extra stress with each victory.

“There’s a lot stress. Even final 12 months, that Golden Slam was like a bit little bit of a darkish cloud hanging over the 12 months,” De Groot tells CNN Sport.

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“Every part was going nicely however there was this huge cloud of stress simply pushing on the truth that [everyone thought] I used to be the one which was going to do it, however I didn’t know if I used to be going to have the ability to do it.”

Because the 12 months progressed, the 25-year-old ticked off every milestone of a Golden Slam and, regardless of the mounting stress, she dropped simply two units alongside the way in which, and added three grand slam doubles titles in addition to one other Paralympic gold medal in doubles for good measure.

This 12 months, she continued her extraordinary type, as soon as once more sweeping the singles grand slams and selecting up one other three in doubles.

However reasonably than changing into misplaced amid all this stress, De Groot focuses on the smaller issues, setting her personal objectives for every match unrelated to the outcome and marking every win by having fun with a “chilled night time” along with her coach.

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“We’re additionally simply so completely satisfied to be again residence and be with household as a result of I really feel like my household is aware of what I do for it essentially the most,” she says.

“They know what I’ve to undergo and what it means for me. So actually, after I’m with the household, they know what troubles I’ve gone by to get that plate or that trophy … And I feel that’s my a part of trying again and celebrating a bit bit.”

For all these accomplishments, it was solely a coincidence that De Groot ever picked up a tennis racket aged seven, as a part of a rehabilitation program following surgical procedures on her proper leg which is shorter than her left leg.

“They only mentioned to me, ‘Would you wish to play tennis as a result of it’s close to your home?’” she recollects.

“And I assumed, my grandmother’s enjoying, a few of my cousins are enjoying. And so I began enjoying.”

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First invented in 1976, wheelchair tennis is performed based on precisely the identical guidelines as able-bodied tennis, besides that gamers can let the ball bounce twice.

“I initially cherished it as a result of I used to be the identical as all the opposite children that have been within the group,” De Groot provides.

“All of us struggled a bit bit with the wheelchair and holding the racket … Perhaps with my pals generally I felt like I used to be a bit bit completely different as a result of generally I couldn’t stroll as lengthy or couldn’t run as quick.”

In time, De Groot started enjoying nationwide wheelchair tennis tournaments the place, with out age classes, she confronted gamers of their twenties, thirties and even forties, earlier than she was scouted for the Dutch nationwide program and invited to worldwide junior tournaments.

Whereas nonetheless a junior, De Groot skilled on the Nationwide Heart, enjoying with Aniek van Koot and Jiske Griffioen, who have been then world No. 1 and No. 3 respectively.

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De Groot now plays doubles alongside Van Koot and they have won 11 doubles grand slam titles together.

“I may actually see the way it was achieved, and I may possibly even see what they have been doing after which have a look at myself and suppose, ‘Can I do it like that? Or do I make it even higher?’” she says.

“And I owe a lot of what I’ve discovered right now from them as a result of I used to be allowed to coach with them.”

As soon as De Groot reached the skilled circuit, her potential was shortly evident as she received a grand slam on the third try, however her early profession weaknesses turned seen too.

“Within the final two years, my psychological sport has gone up a lot,” she says. “Earlier than, I used to be good at tennis and I may already hit the photographs that I’m hitting right now. However then in my head, generally I might simply lose it.”

Enjoying in her first grand slam on the 2017 Australian Open, De Groot was defeated by Sabine Ellerbrock within the opening spherical – her solely loss to the German of their 19 profession conferences.

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Shortly afterwards, she crashed out of the French Open within the first spherical once more after failing to transform her personal match factors, she recollects.

“Then at Wimbledon … I used to be like, ‘Okay, so I’ve misplaced my first match, I had probabilities to win my first match in my second event, however that didn’t occur, now I’m simply going to get pleasure from it,’ and I feel that’s what I did for the entire event,” De Groot says.

“I actually had no expectations and possibly that was the important thing to profitable that first one.”

When she received that first grand slam, De Groot was simply 20 years previous and unencumbered by the expectations she now faces.

“The precise shock feeling [after winning] has left, however nonetheless the sensation of pleasure and stuff, I feel that’s grown over time as a result of I’ve simply seen how regularly the stress will get on, prefer it will get increasingly more,” she provides.

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“And my opponents … they make it tougher and tougher on me every time I play them. So I do know every time it’s getting tougher to maintain up the profitable streak.”

De Groot celebrates winning her first grand slam title at Wimbledon in 2017.

At each stage of her profession, De Groot has been challenged by her nice rival Yui Kamiji. Between them, the 2 ladies have received 22 of the final 23 grand slam tournaments, with Kamiji’s defensive brilliance offering the proper counterpart to De Groot’s extra aggressive fashion.

“She hit sure photographs that not one of the different gamers did so I made certain that in my coaching periods I might practice on these photographs,” De Groot says.

“Yui has taught me to be extra affected person and to actually anticipate my probabilities. I feel we’ve made one another cleverer gamers.”

Even throughout De Groot’s comparatively brief profession thus far, the profile of wheelchair tennis has elevated dramatically.

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Wimbledon solely launched wheelchair singles into its program in 2016 – the 12 months earlier than De Groot’s title-winning debut – whereas the wheelchair tennis tournaments on the Australian Open have been held on completely different dates to the remainder of the grand slam for his or her first 5 editions till 2007.

“We might type of be there, however we weren’t included,” De Groot says, recalling tales from different gamers.

“So it was a bit bit prefer it’s known as the Australian Open, however actually it’s not inclusion in any respect. If you happen to have a look at it now, we’re on the identical time, we play on the identical courts, we use the identical locker room and so there’s so many variations and such huge adjustments have already occurred.”

This 12 months, 16 gamers featured within the males’s and girls’s wheelchair singles on the US Open – the most important ever discipline at a grand slam – whereas a junior event was additionally held there for the primary time, and the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour now incorporates over 150 occasions.

So far, de Groot has won 15 grand slam singles titles and 15 grand slam doubles titles.

There may be nonetheless a protracted strategy to go, nevertheless.

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As De Groot factors out, extra visibility is required for wheelchair tennis gamers in order that the larger courts on which they now play, such because the Louis Armstrong Stadium on the US Open or No.1 Courtroom at Wimbledon, are stuffed by followers.

“My dream is to get wheelchair tennis to a spot the place folks really purchase tickets to go and see us,” De Groot says.

“I don’t count on anybody to surrender their Nadal ticket to swap it for us. However it will be nice to have just a few folks be like, you already know what, I’m going to go to Wimbledon right now simply to see the wheelchair tennis as a result of they’re so wonderful.”

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Spain and Portugal hit by huge power outage

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Spain and Portugal hit by huge power outage

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Spain and Portugal were hit by a huge power cut on Monday that paralysed transport networks and disrupted mobile communications, with authorities warning that obstacles remained before electricity could be fully restored.

Hours after it began, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said experts were looking for the cause of the outage, which immobilised the rail system, delayed flights and made traffic lights go dark.

Data from the Spanish electricity operator showed that consumption dropped by more than 10GW when the blackout hit shortly after 12.30pm local time, suggesting that it was one of the biggest in recent European history.

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Weather data showed that temperatures in southern Spain increased sharply between midday and 1pm local time. Higher temperatures can limit how much electricity cables can carry.

Eduardo Prieto, director of services at Spain’s operator, Red Eléctrica, said that a “very strong oscillation” in the network during that time had cut off Spain’s electricity grid from the rest of continental Europe, which had led to the collapse of the system.

Red Eléctrica said that by late afternoon power had been restored across northern and southern Spain — parts of the country that can be more easily supplied by France and Morocco respectively. But it cautioned that fully restoring supply to the whole country would take between six and 10 hours.

“We are going to go through some critical hours before we totally recover electricity,” Sánchez said after a crisis meeting with top government officials.

In an address to the nation he called on people to minimise travel, pay attention to official statements rather than social media, and restrict their use of mobile phones. He also noted the outage’s “tremendous impact” on everyday life as well as economic loss and “anxiety in millions of homes”.

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Sánchez, who said he was in contact with King Felipe, political leaders and the EU and Nato about the crisis, added that the technical experts were working to provide a solution as soon as possible.

By mid-afternoon, all of the country’s nuclear power stations remained offline, according to Montel, the energy data specialist, as they sought to respond to the disruption.

Metro stations in Madrid were closed during the power outage © Susana Vera/Reuters

Spain’s chief traffic authority called on people not to drive their cars, because traffic lights were out of operation due to the cut. The government added that medium- or long-distance rail transport would not resume during the day.

In Madrid, people spilled out on to the streets, as metro stations were evacuated and shops, restaurants and offices closed. Mobile phone coverage was also initially hit. Local media said some — but not all — hospitals were functioning as normal with the aid of backup generators.

Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the conservative leader of the Madrid regional government, called on Spain’s Socialist-led national administration to activate emergency plans “to allow the army to keep order, if necessary”.

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Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the head of Spain’s opposition People’s party, criticised Sánchez’s government for being slow to provide updates on the blackout. “We need timely information,” he said.

Nearly 400 flights were delayed at Madrid airport as of mid-afternoon, including more than half of scheduled departures, while at Lisbon airport, 171 flights were delayed and almost 200 flights cancelled.  

Aena, which runs Madrid airport and 45 others across Spain, said it was relying on backup power supplies to operate, adding that the extent of the delays would depend on whether crews and passengers could get to the airports.

Spain gets 43 per cent of its electricity from wind and solar power, but grid and storage capacity has not kept pace with the country’s rapid development of renewable energy.

The country has long lamented being an “energy island” due to its poor connections with France.

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French grid operator RTE said parts of France had been briefly affected by the outage but that power had been quickly restored.

Additional reporting by Philip Georgiadis and Andy Bounds

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Trump to sign executive order highlighting sanctuary cities fighting immigration enforcement

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Trump to sign executive order highlighting sanctuary cities fighting immigration enforcement


Trump’s executive orders will total more than 140 during his first 100 days in office, which press secretary Karoline Leavitt said was more than the Biden administration had in four years.

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  • One Trump order will ‘unleash’ law enforcement, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will sign two executive orders to bolster immigration enforcement and highlight which jurisdictions restrict cooperation with federal law enforcement, according to press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

The signings April 28 come on the 99th day of Trump’s second term in office. His Republican administration is promoting tougher border enforcement as one of his central priorities, with what border czar Tom Homan called “historic low” border crossings.

“It’s quite simple: obey the law, respect the law and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from the nation’s communities,” Leavitt told reporters during a morning White House briefing. “This administration is determined to enforce our immigration laws.”

DOJ, DHS to highlight sanctuary cities: Leavitt

The first order aims to “strengthen and unleash America’s law enforcement to pursue and protect innocent citizens,” Leavitt said.

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The second order calls on Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to publish a list of the communities nicknamed “sanctuary” jurisdictions. Leavitt said the communities “obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

Homan said he would visit Rochester, New York, on April 29 to support local law enforcement officers after several were disciplined for aiding a Homeland Security official who called for emergency assistance.

“Cops need to help cops, especially in an emergency situation. But they got disciplined,” Homan said. “I’m going up there to support the men and women of law enforcement.”

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Focus on sanctuary cities arrives amid court battles

The administration’s conflict with sanctuary cities and states is being fought in court. Leavitt’s announcement came after FBI agents arrested a local Wisconsin judge on April 18 for allegedly interfering with federal authorities trying to arrest an immigrant who didn’t have legal authorization to be in the country.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was charged with alleged interference with a federal law enforcement operation and unlawful concealment of an individual subject to arrest.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and others were trying to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican citizen previously removed from the U.S. and recently charged with multiple counts of domestic abuse-related battery. Dugan allegedly directed the federal authorities away from Flores-Ruiz after he appeared in her court.

Dugan had an initial appearance in court April 25 to be advised of her rights and her arraignment is scheduled May 15. Trump blasted the judge on April 27 as “terrible.”

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Lawsuits challenge validity of sanctuary cities

A group of 16 cities and counties filed a lawsuit against Trump’s policy withholding federal funding from so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco blocked the policy on April 24 by ruling the government was unlawfully trying to force cooperation from jurisdictions such as Minneapolis, Portland, Santa Fe and Seattle.

The Trump administration isn’t always the defendant. Bondi sued Illinois, Chicago and Cook County alleging they “obstruct” federal authorities from enforcing immigration laws.

Bondi also sued New York state and its Department of Motor Vehicles for a “green-light” law that limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

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“The American public doesn’t want illegal criminal aliens in their communities,” Leavitt said. “They made that quite clear on Nov. 5.”

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Patient Aboard an Ambulance Fatally Stabs a Firefighter Paramedic

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Patient Aboard an Ambulance Fatally Stabs a Firefighter Paramedic

A member of the emergency medical services in Kansas City, Mo., died on Sunday after being stabbed by a patient who was being transported to a hospital in what officials said started out as a “routine medical call.”

The patient stabbed the emergency worker, Graham Hoffman, a 29-year-old firefighter paramedic, in the chest, piercing his heart, city officials said in a news release.

A suspect was in custody but had not been publicly identified. A motive for the attack was not immediately known.

The episode began after Kansas City police officers were dispatched to a “routine medical call” early on Sunday to check on a woman who was reported to be walking along a section of highway near North Oak Trafficway, the police said.

Officers found the woman and requested help from the emergency medical services for further unspecified treatment. While en route to the hospital, the patient “produced an edged weapon” and stabbed Firefighter Hoffman, the police said.

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Graham Hoffman, a firefighter paramedic, was fatally stabbed during a call in Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday.Credit…Kansas City Fire Department

Firefighter Hoffman’s partner called a crew emergency, and additional Fire Department and Police Department personnel responded. Firefighter Hoffman was taken to North Kansas City Hospital.

“Despite the heroic efforts of KCFD paramedics, the hospital medical team, Firefighter Hoffman succumbed to his injuries in the intensive care unit,” the city said.

Firefighter Hoffman had been a member of the Kansas City Fire Department since 2022, according to the news release.

The police are working with the Clay County prosecutor on criminal charges, the city said.

“We will demand accountability be applied not just to the suspect, but also for any steps in the system that fell short,” said Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City.

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