Tournament Director Richard Krajicek: Formidable Final Ahead

Rotterdam Ahoy is buzzing today at the climax of a wonderful tennis week. Tournament director Richard Krajicek is looking forward to a formidable final in the 52nd edition of the ABN AMRO Open, when gladiators Alex de Minaur and Carlos Alcaraz face off for the ultimate prize and a place in the ring of winners in Ahoy.

Krajicek is, of course, hoping for two more memorable finals on Centre Court. He does so with the knowledge that the 52nd edition of the ABN AMRO Open will go down in history as a special event, and not only because of the overwhelming public interest in an ecstatic Rotterdam Ahoy.

For the 1996 Wimbledon champion, it was green signals all around before the tournament even started: "The pre-sales were already going very well—especially when we announced that Alcaraz would be coming. And during the tournament, Carlos proved to be the fantastic guy we’d hoped for, not only during the autograph session but also during interviews and through his interactions with the crowd. The kind of vibe that Alcaraz brings out is one we have only seen here before with Federer and Nadal.''

What also helped was that Alcaraz stayed in the tournament, although he seemingly faltered in his first round against home favourite Botic van de Zandschulp. "Together with Tallon Griekspoor’s two matches, I thought those were the best games of the tournament. They were beautiful fights.''

As in most years, Ahoy provides a great stage to reveal a new and surprising star. This year it was Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci, who surprised everyone—including himself. Krajicek: "It is always nice when you have a surprise run in the tournament. Nobody expected Bellucci to send Medvedev home first, and then repeat that level of tennis against Tsitsipas. Fortunately, in addition to such top seeds, some top players progressed deep in the tournament, which is great because the audience wants to see those big names too.''

One of those big names is Alex de Minaur, who already reached the final last year. On Tuesday, there was some concern when De Minaur reported that he was ill, but he overcame that scare. "Because of his great results last year, I picked De Minaur as the tournament winner from day one. Not only is he a very good player, but he also almost never loses to a player who is ranked lower in the world rankings. He’s quick as a flash and also very consistent," shared Krajicek.

Of course, it is great that tournament favourite Alcaraz, who is the main attraction of the tournament and the current world number 3, also booked his spot in the final on Sunday. "Carlos is the most popular tennis player in the world, so, of course, it’s great that he has reached the final here in Rotterdam.''

For the tournament director, the ABN AMRO Open is like playing chess on multiple boards at the same time: he has to show up in many places. "I have received many compliments this week—from the ATP, the crowd, the sponsors, and the players. They also see that we try to make it a complete experience every year, with, for example, a great player line-up, the VIP village, and the Wheelchair Arena. Everyone thinks this is a fantastic event. We can only achieve this thanks to our loyal sponsor ABN AMRO. I consider it both an honour and a pleasure to be part of this.”