Tim van Rijthoven blinks once. All week he told his story in small side rooms to a handful of Dutch journalists. But after his victory in the third round over Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili (6-4, 6-3,6-4) and with the confrontation with Novak Djokovic in the eighth finals on the horizon, the international press has also discovered him.
The interest in the 25-year-old Dutchman is so great that Wimbledon decides at the last minute to move Van Rijthoven to the largest interview room. Including the British BBC Sport, The Guardian, Times of India and the international news agency Reuters want to know everything about the tennis player whom, like most Dutch people, they had never heard of until a few weeks ago.
‘It takes some adjustment, but luckily I succeed quickly and I remain very sober,’ says Van Rijthoven after he has answered a series of questions in English. He is the first Dutch male tennis player since Sjeng Schalken in 2004 to reach the fourth round in London.
Van Rijthoven hadn’t taken this into account for a long time either. The tennis player from Roosendaal had never won a match on the ATP tour, the highest level, until he surprisingly won the grass tournament in Rosmalen more than three weeks ago. Just eighty kilometers from his birthplace, he defeated world champions Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime, among others.
Hardly any effort
This resulted in a wildcard for Van Rijthoven for Wimbledon, where he reached the quarterfinals as a junior eight years ago. In the main tournament, the number 104 in the world settled remarkably easily in the first three rounds with Federico Delbonis (ATP-84), Reilly Opelka (ATP-18) and Basilashvili (ATP-26). The debutant at Wimbledon plays tennis as if it hardly takes any effort.
In no time, Van Rijthoven has instilled fear into the world’s top. Who is this rising star? He played five times against a top-30 player and won all five matches. He only had to give up four sets. ‘My game is made for grass’, says Van Rijthoven when asked about his impressive series.
With his treacherous slice-back hand and devastating serve, he has deadly weapons for the fast underground. In his first three matches at Wimbledon, he won an average of 90 percent of the points on his first serve. It is the highest percentage of all players in the London Grand Slam tournament. “My service is very important and runs great.”
While Van Rijthoven fired one rocket after another at Basilashvili on runway 12, ‘Come on, Tim’ could be heard more and more from the packed stands. For British journalists it was an echo of the past, when the cry rang through the stadiums for British crowd favorite Tim Henman twenty years ago.
Van Rijthoven is not yet as popular as Henman, but at Wimbledon they feast on an unknown grass specialist who mocks all the laws. Denis Kudla was the last tennis player with a wild card to reach the last sixteen in 2015. ‘How does it feel to be the new Tim darling’, a British journalist wants to know. ‘Good’, says Van Rijthoven with a smile.
Against greatness Djokovic
He expressed his hope for Wimbledon to play against Djokovic. After his win over Basilashvili, he knew that dream was close at hand, although the 20-time grand slam winner had yet to play his third round match. A few hours later, Djokovic also qualified in three sets for the fourth round: 6-0, 6-3, 6-4. ‘You don’t get that chance very often. I haven’t played many tournaments with such a great figure in the schedule.”
It is a new experience for Van Rijthoven in every way. Five days ago, he played his first match on court 11, a modest job without stands. Via lanes 4 and 12 (with packed stands) the Center Court, the tennis temple with 15 thousand seats, beckons. And otherwise Court 1 (more than 12 thousand places). “That’s beautiful and has something magical about it.”
Shortly after his victory over Basilashvili, his thoughts turned to the biggest match of his career. “As soon as I got into the dressing room, I imagined what it would be like to walk onto Center Court. I saw myself entering the track with a big smile.’
These are words that Van Rijthoven would never have dared to say a month ago. But the impressive string of victories has given his self-confidence and determination a huge boost. “I go into every game thinking that I am the best player, even if that may not always be the case.”