Richard Krajicek: "Everything went so well this year"

The 50th edition of the ABN AMRO Open will undoubtedly go down in the history books as a celebratory one. Tournament director Richard Krajicek proudly and gratefully looks back on an unforgettable week of amazing tennis, with enthusiastic fans, and satisfied world top players in Rotterdam Ahoy.

How special was this jubilee edition for you personally?

Richard Krajicek: 'I thought it was very festive. First because the public could be welcomed back at full capacity, whereas last year we were only to receive a maximum of 1250 visitors per session last year. You mainly play top tennis for the fans, the fans make the tournament, and with a full Ahoy again this year, the atmosphere was great again. In addition, our tournament was broadcast all over the world: in 178 countries to be precise.'

The strong field of participants also helped. And many top players stayed in the tournament for a long time.

'We had a good draw, some players lost earlier than expected but most top players won their first rounds. Early on I had the feeling that we would also see very nice matches towards the final weekend and this was indeed the case.’

Prior to the tournament, you expressed your wish for a final between a Dutchman and a world top player. You were almost right…

Yes, Tallon Griekspoor was close, but of course I was also very happy with the final between the world top players Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner. By the way, Tallon happily surprised me in the semifinals; he could keep up with Sinner, who was in great shape. Before the tournament I was confident that Botic van de Zandschulp or Tallon could make it to the quarter-finals. And for the Dutch tennis fans it was also a plus that Brouwer surprised us as well with a place in the quarter-finals.'

Which moments will you remember the most?

'There are several. In addition to the visit of our king and the fantastic final, I found that the match and the atmosphere on Saturday evening, in the semi-final between Sinner and Tallon, was very great. Just like the quarter-final between Dimitrov and De Minaur’.

That match that culminated with a dramatic match point

'Also, the anniversary dinner on the first Saturday evening was a very unique moment, and so was Davina Michelle's amazing opening show for the final.'

And then another final…

'Yes, we already knew that it would be a special final contest. It was certainly one of the most beautiful finals we have seen here. Medvedev is not the former number 1 in the world for nothing. He's had a slightly less prolific period, but normally he's a top-3 or top-5 player. And Sinner is still young but also showed great things on his way to the final, knocking out tournament favourite Tsitsipas along the way. At 21 years old, he is often labelled as an upcoming talent, but he is already one of the stars of the ATP tour.’

The past two years there was little or no audience and you had a lot of time to watch tennis. How was that for you this year?

It was a good thing that my agenda was nice and full and that's how it should be. I enjoyed talking to people again. As a result, there was less time to watch games myself, but I could often still see part of the evening games.

A lot had changed for this edition, including an exhibition, a renewed Shops & Bites and the expansion of the training courts. What did you think?

It’s been great, we got a lot of compliments. The expansion of the training courts was very much appreciated by the players and the public. Players are very satisfied with our facilities, with a large gym and a beautiful players lounge. In many tournaments there is one training track, or they have to train at a club further away. Here they have access to six training courts that are also very similar to centre court. That is also unprecedented for players.’

The 50th edition of the ABN AMRO Open will remain an unprecedented milestone ?

That's why I found this edition more than beautiful. A loyal sponsor for such a top tournament for fifty years, that is unique. In recent corona years, we have seen that ABN AMRO stood next to, and behind us in good and more challenging times. That is also why I was so happy with this edition: I also thought it was a tribute to the ABN AMRO and Ahoy teams who worked hard to make the tournament possible, even in difficult, uncertain times. With a fantastic wheelchair tournament, our loyal, passionate fans and wonderful competition fields and competitors, we can be especially proud and grateful: everything went well this year. I am already looking forward to 2024.’