Best Dutch male tennis players of all time

Dutch tennis fans have little to complain about these days when it comes to our compatriots in men's singles . For example, Botic van de Zandschulp has consistently established himself among the world's top thirty thanks to several strong performances, Tallon Griekspoor is also increasingly measuring up to the world's elite, and Tim van Rijthoven recently pulled off a feat on the grass of Rosmalen by winning his first ATP title. Add to that Wesley Koolhof's excellent doubles performances, and we have a number of Dutch top players we all enjoy watching. While the past few years may not be considered glory years, the Netherlands has certainly had some top players who made waves worldwide. Sjeng Sports gives us a top eight!

Robin Haase (highest position: 33)

Looking at the most recent history, Robin Haase was the best-performing Dutchman for a long time. Haase, briefly ranked 33rd in the world in July 2012, played in five ATP finals during his career, winning two of them. In both 2011 and 2012, he was the strongest in Kitzbühel, Austria. Haase also won thirteen Challenger titles and excelled several times in doubles. He won a total of seven ATP doubles titles, including four with fellow countryman Matwé Middelkoop.

Jacco Eltingh (highest position: 19)

Jacco Eltingh's tennis career is long gone. He was part of the so-called "Golden Generation" and, with partner Paul Haarhuis, was particularly outstanding in doubles. The two won six Grand Slam doubles titles, culminating in 1998, when they won the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon. Eltingh was also a strong singles player, winning individual ATP titles in Manchester, Atlanta, Schenectady, and Kuala Lumpur.

Paul Haarhuis (highest position: 18)

Paul Haarhuis may have won "only" one individual ATP title (Jakarta), but he managed to reach 18th place in the ATP rankings. The Eindhoven native, particularly with Eltingh, won a total of 54 doubles titles, including six Grand Slam titles. Haarhuis is now captain of the Dutch Davis Cup team, where he manages players including Van de Zandschulp and Griekspoor. Previously, he was captain of the Dutch women's Fed Cup team for many years.

Martin Verkerk (highest position: 14)

On September 15, 2003, Martin Verkerk broke into the world's top fifteen. The towering Leiderdorp native owed this largely to his performance at Roland Garros that year. Verkerk fought his way to the final in Paris, where he ultimately conceded defeat to Juan Carlos Ferrero. A few months earlier, he had won his first ATP title at the tournament in Milan, of which he ultimately added two to his list of achievements. In 2004, he also secured the overall title in Amersfoort.

Jan Siemerink (highest position: 14)

Jan Siemerink also reached the fourteenth position in the world rankings, albeit five years earlier. Siemerink, also a member of the "Golden Generation," played twelve ATP finals during his career, winning four of them. He was the winner in Singapore (1991), Nottingham (1996), Rotterdam, and Toulouse (both 1998). He also regularly demonstrated his talent in doubles, winning eleven ATP titles, including three with Richard Krajicek.

Sjeng Schalken (highest position: 11)

With no fewer than nine ATP men's singles titles, Sjeng Schalken certainly belongs among the "best male tennis players of all time" from the Netherlands. Schalken, who was ranked eleventh in the ATP rankings in April 2003, reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon three years in a row and even reached the semifinals at the 2002 US Open. He reached twelve ATP finals, winning nine of them. Rosmalen (three final victories, two individual and one doubles title) and Amsterdam (three doubles titles) were particularly well-disposed towards Schalken. In total, he won six ATP doubles titles.

Richard Krajicek (highest position: 4)

Richard Krajicek stormed into the world's top five in 1999, reaching number four in the ATP rankings on March 29th of that year. The absolute highlight of the Rotterdam native's career was his Wimbledon title in 1996. He also won sixteen more ATP titles, including two in Los Angeles, Rosmalen, Rotterdam, and Stuttgart. He also reached nine ATP finals, which he ultimately lost, and, together with Siemerink, won three doubles titles.

Tom Okker (highest position: 3)

The Dutch former tennis player who won the most titles at the ATP level and therefore held the highest position in the world rankings (3) was Tom Okker . During his career, Okker played no fewer than 48 (!) ATP finals, of which he actually won more than half (26). His first final victory came on July 14, 1968, in Dublin, Ireland, while his last ATP victory dates back to October 14, 1979 (Tel Aviv). Incidentally, Okker was not only a singles specialist. In doubles, the Amsterdam native won no fewer than 78 (!) titles, including at the US Open and Roland Garros.