Diede De Groot has reinvented herself.

The Dutchwoman, who has won everything there is to win in Wheelchair tennis, returns to Wimbledon this week ready to unveil a new version of herself.

“I took a break after the Paris Paralympics,” the 28-year-old says. “It was very needed for me. I needed surgery first of all. I took the break and then it became a bit of a sabbatical as well.

“I went on holiday and tried to find a new version of me that was going to enjoy playing tennis more. I knew I was going to go back to tennis, but I knew that I didn’t want to do it in the same way.

“So at the moment I’m just trying to find the rhythm again. I’ve been out for 8 months – that’s quite a long time, but also trying to find my joy and my happy place again.”

The affable De Groot is a 42-time Grand Slam champion, having won a record 23 titles in singles and 19 in doubles. She was unbeaten for three years in singles – a 145-match winning run that extended until last May.

But despite all the success, something just wasn’t quite right.

“When I was so young, winning at 20 years old – that’s very young – and then to do it year after year. it doesn’t grow old, but it does sort of become more of a routine than playing with the heart.

“And even though it did start like that, it grew to be just looking for more and more titles.

“In the end, it just made me more aware of needing the titles instead of wanting and feeling happy to win the titles. I’m looking forward to playing with my heart and play with how I feel rather just looking at the numbers.”

The lightbulb moment came after De Groot failed to clinch gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Japan's Yui Kamiji taking the title in three sets.

“It came completely from me. I really had to regroup after Paris because that was a huge letdown for me not to win the gold medal.

“Now I’m feeling good. I have a new coach and I’m looking more at ‘where do I need to get better?’. Before that it was just, ‘I need to win’, so there’s a change there and I’m enjoying it.”

Amanda Hopmans, a Dutch former world No.72, had masterminded De Groot’s success in a long spell together. They split amicably due to De Groot’s sabbatical and now the former world No.1 has a new voice in her camp.

“My former coach Amanda and I decided to part ways as I was going to be out for such a long time. We’d been together for 10 years, which in tennis is amazing,” says De Groot.

“I’m now working with Dennis Sporrel, who had worked with Tallon Griekspoor, so he’s got a lot of experience on the ATP Tour – and he’s been a head coach for our programme as well, so he knows Wheelchair tennis a lot.

“It’s a new energy, which is important in this stage of my career.”

The new energy is also supporting the philosophy that De Groot has always wanted to insert into her game, but had never felt the freedom to do so.

“It’s funny,” says De Groot. “I always knew how I wanted to play but I never allowed myself to play because I was busy with winning.

“And now I’m really trying to look at it like ‘OK, I want to win again, of course, but I want to play like how I always imagined it’. It doesn’t feel like it’s a change because it’s always been there.

“I want to become so much more aggressive. I know a lot of players and coaches would say I’m already aggressive but I don’t think I’m an aggressive player.

“It’s going to be a fun way to get more towards the front of the court, get to the net, try to really, really work on my serve.

“It’s always been the shot that could be my weapon but it could also be my Achilles heel. I completely lose it within one match.”

What happens if it doesn’t work?

“I haven’t thought about that yet,” she says. “I’m just coming back because I feel like I’m not finished yet. I want to accomplish more in tennis, not necessarily title-wise, but tennis-wise.

“I want to be a better player and I feel like I just trust that, and see if all the puzzle pieces match up.”

De Groot, who is unseeded in this year’s Ladies’ Wheelchair Singles tournament, takes on British wild card Lucy Shuker in the first round.

Whatever happens, De Groot intends to enjoy competing at her favourite tournament again.

“I love it here,” she says. “There’s a bit of a change for all the players as they’re really renovating the place inside. But, for me, Wimbledon will always be the same – peace, calming, and the origins of tennis, and I will always love it.”

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