Finally, after two long days of waiting, tennis player Gijs Brouwer from Venhuizen finally makes his debut on the hallowed grass of Wimbledon this afternoon. He has to do it in London without the support of father Idso, who lost the battle of time in London. The moment his son sets foot on Baan 1, he is already back in West Friesland.
Suffering in London, it was two days long. Because it is precisely the provisional highlight of his son’s tennis career that Idso has to miss. And that while father Brouwer was indeed present at the tennis tournament. A day and a half, to be exact. Due to an important private appointment, he was unable to extend his stay until his son’s match actually started.
On Tuesday – the day Gijs Brouwer was originally supposed to make his debut – he arrived there. And was he still excited. “It was early this morning. I had to get out of bed at four in the morning to catch my flight to England,” he said on Tuesday. “And that after a council meeting of Drechterland that lasted until twelve o’clock in the evening. But I like to do it. Your son who plays at Wimbledon, this is of course wonderful to experience.”
After a meeting with his son Gijs and his coach Michiel Schapers, they traveled to the famous tennis tournament on Tuesday afternoon. He didn’t see much more than rain that day. In the afternoon, the official announcement came from the organization: Tuesday’s games were cancelled.
And that did not suit Brouwer senior. Far from it, even. Because a day later the return flight was already planned. Summer storm Poly still cooperated, because his flight to Amsterdam was postponed for several hours. But even now, rain showers delayed the match schedule of the world’s most famous tennis tournament. “There is no other way, I have to go back”, it sounded by telephone on Wednesday afternoon. “Maybe I can just see a set from his match,” said Brouwer. “That would be nice.”
Battle with time
It didn’t come to that. Due to rain showers again and the long duration of other matches, Brouwer’s match against the German Alexander Zvrerev will be postponed for another day. Brouwer senior lost the battle with time and returned without seeing his son hit a single ball.
Today it really has to happen, on Baan 1. The postponed scoop of the Venhuizer starts at 2 pm. Without his father in the stands in London, who could not beat the clock and the rain due to sheer bad luck.