Twenty-year-old Niels Vink clinched a first ITF World Champion’s award by the narrowest of margins to become the first player from Netherlands to finish year-end No. 1 in the quad category

It’s no secret that Netherlands is one of the most dominant nations in terms of wheelchair tennis, but Vink has broken new ground for his country by becoming the first Dutch quad player to lay claim to an ITF World Champions award.

This was the year that Netherlands were always going to do it in the quad category so it was more of a question of which of their two stars would get there and, in the end, it was Vink who pipped countryman Sam Schroder to the year-end ranking by just nine points.

The two Dutchmen split Grand Slam singles titles, with Vink winning at Roland Garros and the US Open, and despite Schroder defeating Vink in the year-end Masters, it was the younger of the two players (who will surely dominate the future of quad tennis for years to come) who managed to finish on top in the rankings.

“It is a really special and an amazing feeling to be named World Champion for the first time in my career,” Vink said. “This was the best year so far for me. A few dreams became reality. I became world number one, I played in all four Grand Slams, I won my first and second Slam and three Grand Slams in doubles.

“On my own, I was never able to be in this position, so I really want to thank my team around me and a very special thanks to my coach Hans Jurgen.”