Tim Salabim used to call his mother him. And he does magic this week. Tim van Rijthoven is in the final of the Libéma Open in Rosmalen. As number 205 in the world ranking, that can be called a miracle. The Roosendaal tennis player can hardly realize it.
When asked whether he ever pinches himself in the arm this week, Van Rijthoven responds in agreement. “Yeah, I’ve done that too many times this week. But I won’t wake up.”
It shows how special his achievement is. “I would never have dreamed of this. You get a wild card and then maybe hope to play one good match. But it’s unreal that I’m finally in the final.”
“I wanted to quit tennis.”
Van Rijthoven is ‘already’ 25 years old. So the big question is: where does this achievement come from? “As I’ve grown up, I’ve gotten better at tennis.”
That sounds very simple, but there is a slightly longer story behind it. The Roosendaler had a hard time mentally. “I’ve had a lot of injuries. I even wanted to quit tennis. But the people around me told me to keep going because I still had plenty of potential. They have continued to encourage me and I am grateful to them for that.”
The final of the Libéma Open awaits tomorrow. As a Roosendaler, it feels like his home tournament. “That makes that final spot extra nice. I came here as a little boy and now I play on the center court.”
“I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder.”
According to the tennis player, this is only the beginning. At least that’s what he hopes. “Let this be the start of something beautiful. But that remains to be seen, it remains top sport. You often see mayflies, I don’t want to be that.”
Tomorrow is probably the number one in the world, Daniil Medvedev. Does that cause extra nerves? “I am a sober boy. I don’t have any rituals either. Of course there will be nerves, but they disappear at the first ball.”