Mourning, resilience and gold: documentary about Helmonder Niels Vink

After the death of his trainer and good friend Hans-Jurgen Striek, he no longer felt like playing tennis. Yet Niels Vink (23) from Helmond turned the switch a while later. In January this year, the wheelchair tennis player went on the hunt for the only missing major Grand Slam on his list: the Australian Open. The success of his mission is recorded in an impressive documentary, which can also be seen on Brabant+.

Striek’s death on September 21 hit Vink hard. When De Helmond was named Parasportsman of the Year during the NOC*NSF Sports Gala at the end of 2025, he was very emotional. “I dedicate this prize to him with one hundred percent certainty, one thousand percent even,” were his words.

The passion for tennis disappeared after the death of his trainer. “My mother seriously wondered if I would ever play tennis again. Ultimately I did, but I have changed as a person. At first I only thought about winning, but I now know that there are important things in life, such as being healthy and having nice people around you. Putting less pressure on myself helped me in Australia.”

His hunt for gold in singles in the Australian Open was captured by documentary maker Thomas Swinkels from Helmond. “We know each other from the past, he was in my first tennis team,” says Vink. “When Thomas approached me, I first thought about some kind of school project. But when he (together with Thijs van Oosterhout and Teun de Graaf) showed the plans, it was much cooler than I expected.”

The recording of the documentaryNiels Vink. The Last Grand Slam‘, which premiered on Wednesday evening, started in December 2025. Filming took place in the Netherlands, but also in Barcelona, ​​for example, where Vink regularly trains. And of course during the Australian Open, where he won his last missing title. “Filming was done in cool places where people normally do not go. Such as in the middle of the track, in various places in the stadium or in the press area.”

There is also room for emotion. Striek’s death runs like a thread through the documentary. It is also briefly about the very young Vink, who lost both legs at the age of 1 due to a bacterial infection. “My mother talks about it. She can tell it better than I can.”

Vink is happy that the documentary shows who he really is. “As a top athlete, I am fanatical, eager for success and occasionally less cheerful. While in everyday life I am quite calm, down-to-earth and a cheerful guy.”

Director Swinkels is happy with the end result. According to the makers, the documentary is ‘an intimate portrait of an athlete who does everything he can to achieve his goals, despite personal loss’. “It was a great project, very ambitious and we are proud that it was successful. Niels was in a focus in Australia, his own bubble, and we saw that he was on the track for an extra reason.”