Wesley Koolhof: 'I won't go quietly into the night’ 

Wesley Koolhof is playing his last ABN AMRO Open. The doubles specialist will play today with Nikola Mektic in the quarter-finals, against the Austrian pair Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler. 'These guys are fairly new to the tour, but at no point should we underestimate them,’ says Koolhof. 'This team is on the rise, and they have already won ATP500 tournaments in Vienna and Acapulco. They are hard hitters who rely on strong serves. We beat them in Auckland at the beginning of this year, but that match went into a super tiebreak.’

The 34-year-old Koolhof has an impressive record in doubles as a former World No. 1 and counts seventeen tour victories. Last year his big dream came true with a Grand Slam title in Wimbledon. Yet a final victory at the ABN AMRO Open is still missing from the Nijmegen resident’s trophy collection. His best result in the Maasstad dates back to 2017 when his team secured a spot in the finals. 'It was close then. Matwé Middelkoop and I had received a wildcard, we reached the final but lost to Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers.’

Rotterdam Ahoy is familiar territory for Koolhof. 'I always came here with my parents when I was young. I will never forget my debut in 2013 (see photo). At that time there were no qualifications in doubles. Stephan Fransen and I were alternates, until a call came on Tuesday afternoon. We were admitted to the main draw and were allowed to play the last match on Wednesday afternoon just before Roger Federer. I was so nervous before my first match on the ATP Tour. All of a sudden you find yourself on the largest stage in the Netherlands.’

This year, Wesley Koolhof has announced his retirement as a professional tennis player. This is his last season on tour, after which he will get married in December. 'I'm not going to sail quietly through this year. High up on my wish list is winning at least another Grand Slam, followed by the Olympic Games and now, going further than the quarter-finals during the Davis Cup finals. I'm curious what my last year as a tennis player will be like. Let me become the first male doubles’ player to retire as World No. 1!’