Louis van Gaal’s tennis years: a hip flask of Bacardi and a sad end

A generous smile rolls through the tennis canteen in Avenhorn. Jan Gerritsen will never forget it. “We played weekly matches in Ursem, on Wednesday evenings. Four men from our association and four from Ursem. During the third half we would interview each other about our ambitions. We all had quite a bit of attitude and a lot to tell. Louis then told with a straight face that he would become a trainer of Ajax. While he was then teaching at the Don Bosco College in Amsterdam. We were then watching: “there you have that hairdresser again’.”

It’s the 1980s. Van Gaal has settled in Avenhorn with his wife Fernanda and two daughters and plays football at Sparta. His eldest daughter is in the class of Henk Westgeest’s son and Jan’s wife gets to know Van Gaal’s wife Fernanda well at the preschool, where she works. The common interest in the ball does the rest.

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Jan often plays tennis with Van Gaal early in the morning, even before work. “We didn’t play games, we just wanted to hit. Ram. We had 20 balls and kept going until they were gone. Then we picked them up and started again.” Henk was the regular double partner of the later European Cup winner and national coach. “Louis wasn’t the fastest, but he was very ballistic.”

Fanatical

Not very surprising, Van Gaal is fanatical. “Just look at this picture,” says Henk in the canteen of TC Westerkogge. “Judging by the sad faces, we lost. That also happened, although we were also successful. I think we became club champions again. Louis wanted to win, but did not coach during the games or anything. We played just.”

Jan: “Louis could never be a tennis coach, because in tennis you are not allowed to talk during matches. I remember playing tennis with my daughter, who was maybe 14 at the time. Louis kept pushing her along the court, because he thought that she wasn’t moving enough: ‘walk with those legs!’he yelled.”

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It’s fun times at the tennis club. Especially after the games. “Louis was not a beer drinker, but always drank Bacardi Cola. Because we were not allowed to serve spirits in the canteen, I always had a hip flask in my pocket. And with my wife Leah’s snacks, we could sometimes lure him to the canteen Louis loved the fun.”

But then. Jan’s eyes moisten in the sports canteen. The lip quivers, the flow of words stops. The thoughts go back to the beginning of 1994, when Fernanda – with whom Jan also frequently plays tennis – dies. She will be only 39 years old. “I was able to say goodbye to her in the AMC. That is still a very special moment for me.”

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His wife Leah writes the In Memoriam, which is recited by the pastor at the funeral. “We both couldn’t get it out of our throats.” He shows a card. “A year after her death we received a beautiful photo of Fernanda, accompanied by a written message from Louis. As a thank you for the many years of friendship with his wife and him. It still has a place of honor in our bookcase. Louis knows that too. If you receive such a sweet note a year after someone’s death, it means something.”

Not much later, Van Gaal moved to Amsterdam and conquered the world as a football coach. The contact between the tennis friends is fading, but there is still sporadic contact. Henk: “In 2004 we organized a youth tournament here and I invited Louis. Then he came here to tell his story. I thought it was nice that he found time for that, despite his busy schedule. And that is also Louis, as we know him.”