For tennis player Tim van Rijthoven, 2022 was a year to remember. After winning the Libéma Open and reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon, his life was turned upside down. “I fell down and the rest is history”, Van Rijthoven remembers the moment he won in Rosmalen. The moment when the world changed for him.
Van Rijthoven was then ranked 205 in the world rankings and received a wild card for Wimbledon. He also made an impression there, only to fall in the fourth round against the eventual winner Novak Djokovic. That eighth final was watched by 640,000 viewers. A number that Eurosport rarely attracts.
“The catacombs before you hit the field is even more beautiful than most living rooms”
“After that my life really turned upside down. My phone was full of messages. It took me two weeks to ground. I really had to recover for days from what had happened to me in a very short time. I don’t like to be in the spotlight, but that was inevitable now.”
For De Brabander, playing on the Center Court against perhaps the best tennis player of the moment was the highlight of the season. “The catacombs before you go on the field is even more beautiful than most living rooms. Then you are called and you stand on the most beautiful center court in the world. I will never forget that.”
“It often went wrong because I wanted to enter the top 100 too much”
The year had actually already passed for Van Rijthoven, who still had one goal in mind. Breaking into the top 100 of the world rankings. Because no points were awarded at Wimbledon, he had to perform in the remainder of the year. Something that was difficult.
“I didn’t get higher than number 101. That’s a very small blemish. Precisely because I wanted to enter the top 100 too badly, things often went wrong”, the Roosendaal tennis player looks back.
“In 2023 I will have a second ATP title in my pocket”
A known problem for Van Rijthoven. While it went so well this year due to a new working method with a new coach. “I started to put tennis into perspective. Of course it was still a priority, but my girlfriend, family and friends became more important. This also made me play more relaxed.”
As far as Van Rijthoven is concerned, the coming year will be just as beautiful as the past year. He dares to look ahead and set goals. “Next year I will be well in the top 100, hopefully I will have reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament and…”, Van Rijthoven weighs his words but then shows ambition. “Let me just say it. Then I just have a second ATP title in my pocket.”