Tennis player Wesley Koolhof (34) finally achieved his coveted ‘Slam’ checkmark at Wimbledon almost two months ago, but the son of former football international Jurrie Koolhof is now eager for further success. With a win over the United States on Thursday in Split, the Netherlands will qualify for the last eight of the Davis Cup.
Finally he succeeded, after all those attempts that either ended in the final or in the quarter-finals: with his British partner Neal Skupski, with whom Koolhof has been playing doubles for a year and a half, he won the greatest tennis title there is, Wimbledon.
Wimbledon title really counts
Well, he already won the mixed doubles at Roland Garros last year with the American Ena Shibahara, but this one, at Wimbledon, really counts. “This is what I have always wanted, of course: to win Wimbledon,” says Koolhof, sitting in the players’ hotel, about 15 kilometers from the beautiful boulevard in the Croatian coastal town. “Like any tennis player, but that is logical. And I can tell you: it feels very good. It’s not like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders, but it is a nice feeling to be Wimbledon champion.”
That is why it is a strange sensation that Koolhof really starts as an underdog against the United States on Thursday. Of course, he will not play with his regular partner Skupski in the nations tournament. But also with Matwé Middelkoop, who has been one of the 40 best doubles players in the world for years, Koolhof, until recently number 1 in the world, is a very strong duo.
Krajicek’s ‘cousin’ is now the best doubles player in the world
But yes, Koolhof and Middelkoop cannot compete with the current rankings of the two doubles that American captain Bob Bryan will probably line up. Rajeev Ram, who recently won the doubles title at the US Open with Briton Joe Salisbury, is fifth. And Austin Krajicek, who claims to be a distant cousin of ‘our’ Wimbledon champion Richard, even took over the first position from Koolhof, who did not reach further than the last 16 in New York with Skupski. Koolhof therefore dropped, despite his Wimbledon victory. three places in the world rankings and is now fourth.
“Yes, it will be very difficult,” Koolhof looks ahead to the clash with Krajicek and Ram. “We have found an extremely strong group with Finland, Croatia and the US. But it might also be nice to start as an underdog for once. Takes some of the pressure off.”
Not a well-paced duo
Moreover, as the Zevenaar-born tennis player who did not progress beyond position 462 (2013) on the ATP rankings in singles knows: Ram and Krajicek are not a trained duo. ,,Certainly not. I don’t think they’ve even played together, maybe once or twice. In that respect, it could be an advantage for Matwé and I.”
Last year, the Netherlands, with Koolhof and Middelkoop as doubles, managed to pull off a stunt against the US. In the previous edition of the Davis Cup Finals in Glasgow, the Americans surprisingly won in the last match, although the Netherlands had already qualified for the quarter-finals thanks to a victory over Great Britain. At the time, Koolhof and Middelkoop won from Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram.
Also a tough match against USA in the singles
In the singles, Tallon Greekpoor (ATP-24) and Botic van de Zandschulp (ATP-68) will most likely compete against Frances Tiafoe (ATP-11) and Tommy Paul (ATP-13) on Thursday. Not an easy job either.
However, the court in the Arena Gripe Sports Center in Split, where the Netherlands defeated Finland 2-1 on Tuesday, is in excellent condition, says Koolhof. “Nothing to complain about. The same track as the one on which we won against Slovakia in Groningen in February, so that’s not the reason. The stadium is a bit run-down, from the 1970s and with little recent maintenance, if I see it that way.”
‘It would be great if some more students came’
And public support could use an ounce more, says Koolhof, who will soon visit his grandmother in Beerta again. “About 50 people encouraged us against Finland. That was a bit disappointing after that match in Groningen against Slovakia. We actually miss the Groningen students quite a bit. They provided great support against Slovakia. But yes, the tickets are not cheap and it is not around the corner of course. But it would be so nice if a few more groups would come. From Groningen or other student cities, it doesn’t matter.”
This applies to the match against the US, which if won will already earn a place in the knockout phase of the Davis Cup, in which eight teams will participate in Malaga at the end of November. But if there is no win against the US, the match against host country Croatia next Sunday will be crucial. “Then we will have to win that to end up among the best two in the group,” Koolhof looks ahead, “and then we will of course need all the support we can get here. So if you don’t have anything to do yet, come here and support us. We could really use that.”