'Tennis is booming’ beams tournament director Richard Krajicek

As the 53rd edition of the ABN AMRO Open gets under way, all signs are pointing towards another thrilling week of tennis. Tournament director Richard Krajicek looks ahead with optimism and curiosity from Rotterdam Ahoy: "You can feel it in every way: tennis is booming.”

For the tournament director, the recent days were somewhat of a puzzle to solve especially with some players still competing on other continents over the weekend. But the pieces have now fallen into place. From the very first day of play, fans can look forward to mouth-watering matchups. Krajicek is also delighted to see five Dutch players in the main draw. "This is my 23rd year as tournament director. There have often been years when not a single Dutch player made the draw on ranking alone.”

This year three Dutch players: Tallon Griekspoor, Jesper de Jong and Botic van de Zandschulp earned direct entry into the main draw. Guy den Ouden received a wildcard, and Mees Röttgering fought his way through qualifying on Sunday to reach what Krajicek himself calls "the most beautiful tennis party of the year”. "It’s fantastic for the crowd that we have so many Dutch players involved,” Krajicek shared enthusiastically.

Favourites

With world-class players such as top-seed Alex de Minaur, ATP top ten Alexander Bublik, no less than three former champions Felix Auger-Aliassime (2022), Daniil Medvedev (2023) and veteran Stan Wawrinka (2015), fans are guaranteed tennis of highest standard. Interest ahead of the event has been enormous; for the first time in the tournament’s history, even the qualifying tournament was completely sold out over the weekend!

On Saturday, Krajicek almost saw his son Alec pull off a surprise in qualifying, and was amazed by the level of enthusiasm. "The interest from the fans is incredible. Tennis is booming, you can see it everywhere. We partly owe that to the rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz; that healthy battle generates a huge amount of attention.”

But there is more to it than that. Appreciation for the ABN AMRO Open as an event has been very high for many years. "There’s a lot to experience here at Ahoy, both on and off the court, and we have plenty of space,” Krajicek explained. "Alongside the tennis and the wheelchair tournament, you can shop, enjoy great food, and we offer extras for all kind of audiences, from children to students, and more senior visitors.”

Highest level

And when you can offer the public tennis of the very highest standard, Rotterdam Ahoy fills up quickly, especially when Dutch players are performing well. On Monday, much of the attention will be on Botic van de Zandschulp, who faces French qualifier Luka Pavlovic in the opening round. Earlier in the day, the clash between Daniil Medvedev and France’s Ugo Humbert also promises to be a blockbuster.

Krajicek will also keep a keen eye on young Norwegian Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, who will take on Spain’s Jaume Munar today. The 19-year-old received a wildcard that fits a long-standing tradition. In the past, Krajicek has handed wildcards to then-unknown young talents such as Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who later developed into top players and often returned to Rotterdam. "Kjaer is an interesting player,” Krajicek said. "I also like the fact that the Dutch public gets the chance to discover young talents like this.”