“It’s the best week of my life, I think.” Tennis player Jesper de Jong from Hoofddorp is floating on a pink cloud in Australia. After reaching the main schedule of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time through the qualifications, he is in the second round of the Australian Open. On Tuesday night (Dutch time) he will meet number four in the world Jannik Sinner.
“This is very special,” 23-year-old De Jong tells his story in the radio broadcast of NH Sports. “It was a very big dream to qualify. Winning a round is a bonus and now against Sinner. That is a great poster. You can call it a dream week. I will cherish this.”
Lots of comments
After his victory over the Argentinian Pedro Cachin (72nd in the world) in the first round, De Jong received many reactions. “My phone exploded. I’m happy with what it brings out. Beautiful,” said the number 161 of the ATP ranking, “I’ve had tough matches. It doesn’t always go your way, but this week it did. I had luck on my side. You need that otherwise you won’t get there. Then you see what can happen.”
After a short night’s sleep, De Jong trained for an hour at Margaret Court today. This way he could get used to the conditions a bit before he takes to the court against one of the best tennis players in the world at the moment.
“I am playing against Sinner in a large stadium and I have not played there that often. I want to prepare well for it. In terms of optics, it is different from court seventeen. That is a compact court and soon I will be on a mega-large court with a much larger range. It is also different for the eyes and when moving. I am really looking forward to it.”