For the second time, a Dutchman won mixed doubles at Wimbledon. His name: Sem Verbeek. The tennis player from Amsterdam wrote history in the chic suburb of London and they saw that at Tennisclub Kattenlaan too. In his younger years, Verbeek spent many hours on the tennis court there.
“It’s the conversation of the day,” says Pascale Story. She just got off the track and now enjoys a drink with her tennis friends. “The great achievement of Sem was frequently around in our tennis app group, with a video of the award ceremony.”
From football to tennis
As a little boy, Sem Verbeek started football, but partly because of his mother he went on tennis. After all, she played at Tennisclub Kattenlaan. There in the middle of the Vondelpark in Amsterdam, Verbeek turned out to be very skilled with his racket.
In that period Wim Bloemers sometimes hit a ball with the current winner of Wimbledon. “I think it’s about fifteen years ago and I played with my friends there. He was there on the track with his mother and I thought that was a bit pathetic. Boys of that age would like to be challenged more, and he enjoyed playing tennis with us.”
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Just like Bloemers, Reinier Koning can also remember the Verbeek family on Kattenlaan. “Very nice and friendly people. That’s why I thought it was so much that Sem radiated a lot of cheerfulness during the final.”
In the café located on the Tennisbaan, the final could be seen on television. According to the bartender, those present enthusiastically sympathized with their former clubmate. “At important moments and at the last point, everyone saved.”
ATP tournament Hamburg
King was also glued to the tube yesterday. “I thought it was super exciting and the final could go in all directions.”
About a month and a half ago he spoke with Verbeek: “Together with a friend I visited an ATP tournament in Hamburg. After the time, Sem made some time for us. I then showed him a photo of a cup he won in 2013 at the Kattenlaan open.”
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The cup that Koning is talking about is in the middle of the tennis café. Due to the size, this exchange trophy stands out among the other prices. It has been regularly looked at in the last hours, because the name ‘Sem Verbeek’ is engraved at the bottom right.
America
After his years on Kattenlaan and with his school diploma in his pocket, Verbeek leaves for America. There he is going to study and developed his tennis skills on the California jobs. As a professional tennis player, he focuses primarily on the (mixed) doubles. A number of times he was close to a title, such as the semi -final at the Australian Open earlier this year.
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See you Thursday evening. Together with the Czech Katerina Siniaková, the 31-year-old Amsterdammer enters the books of Wimbledon. The duo beats the British-Brazilian couple Joe Salisbury and Luisa Stefani in the final: 7-6 7-6. It is only the second time that a Dutchman takes the win in the mixed doubles with worldly best -known grass tournament.
Emotions
Verbeek spoke beautiful and grateful words to the audience at the award ceremony. “It was my first time I was allowed to play at the Center Court of Wimbledon. In addition, I thought it was an honor to be able to take action next to a double legend like Siniakova. This Thursday I will remember the rest of my life.”