“Won all 4, hungry for more.” That message has been displayed over the past few days in Times Square in New York—a place with more and bigger screens than your average Mediamarkt—ever since Niels’ US Open victory on Saturday. That “all 4” refers to the four Grand Slams that Niels has won. And what’s remarkable is that he won them all in 2026—which is called a calendar slam. But Niels is also hungry for more.
Niels isn’t the type to stand on podiums or atop tall buildings and claim he’s the best in Paris, Melbourne, Wimbledon, New York, and Elsendorp. He’s a bit too modest for that. But the facts don’t lie. He’s been firmly entrenched at the top of the rankings for quite some time now, and this year alone he’s already won the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon.
One to go
Three down, one to go, in American football terms. The U.S. Open was still left to play this year. And winning in The Big Apple would unlock something new: the title “Calendar Slam winner” on his Wikipedia and LinkedIn pages.
Of course, winning a Grand Slam isn't something you just do. He got off to a good start. Niels scored a convincing victory over Andy Lapthorne, and a day later, Leandro Pena also fell to him.
Unreal
In the semifinals, Niels faced his doubles partner Guy Sasson. The match ended 7-5, 6-3. In the final, unsurprisingly, Sam Schröder was the opponent. That match ended 6-2 and 7-5 in Niels’ favor. His eleventh Grand Slam title and first Calendar Slam! “I was so happy and relieved when I played the final point,” Niels exclaimed from New York. “It still feels a little surreal what I’ve accomplished.”
After winning the tournament, Niels got to savor the moment for a while in the US Open garden, at the initiative of sponsor and champagne provider Moët. A little Moët, in other words. Afterward, he was honored at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the final between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
Times Square
The next day, Niels took a look at himself. “I was driving by Times Square and there I saw that gigantic photo of myself, courtesy of Nike. That was really cool and special to see!” Some people saw the billboard, looked at me, and then back at the billboard. Like, “Is that really him?” Yeah, that was him. Niels Vink from Helmond, calendar slam winner by trade. And far from done.