By Rik Spekenbrink
It was his debut at a grand slam and his first match to win three sets. But for Tim van Rijthoven (25) everything gets used to quickly, these weeks. Well within two hours he beat the Argentinian Federico Delbonis. After an awkward first set it went fast. It was crazy to have to play one more after that second set. But I waltzed all over him.”
That one backhand, against the set point in the tiebreak of the first set, had been of great importance. Van Rijthoven passed his opponent with a hard line. ,,At such moments something comes loose in me, then I have extra focus on that ball. I also had to go for it, if I half play it, it comes to nothing. But if I lose that point, and therefore that set, you just have to see it of course.”
But once in the lead, the bit of tension that the debuting Van Rijthoven felt disappeared. And he got a grip on the serve, and especially sky-high toss, from Delbonis. After that it went fast. “I came close to my level in Rosmalen.” There, Van Rijthoven won the ATP tournament two weeks ago to everyone’s surprise. What followed were three packed days full of obligations and requests, in which he said he was lived, to the point of headache.
I told myself I wasn’t a favorite. That works for me to stay away from the tension
But at Wimbledon he pulled the line effortlessly. ,,When I saw the draw I thought two things: no wrong draw, but I also felt a bit of pressure because he has never won a match here. I told myself I wasn’t a favorite. That works for me to stay away from the tension.”
From lane 11, he had a view of the centennial Center Court against Delbonis. “A magically beautiful image. It was such a nice ambiance with many Dutch people along the track.” The only flaw, through no fault of his own, was the fact that he doesn’t earn any ranking points with his win. The ATP and WTA have put a line through this, because Wimbledon is banning Russians because of the war. ,,That’s too bad. I will probably end up in the top 100 anyway, but then it would have been a bit thicker.”
It should not spoil the fun for Van Rijthoven, who will play his second round on Wednesday.
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