Daviscup | Time for the next generation to take the step, says Wesley Koolhof

Tennis is no longer just reserved for young people. The likes of Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka in singles, and Rohan Bopanna and Rajeev Ram in doubles, have battled Father Time quite successfully.

However, former world number 1 Wesley Koolhof didn’t even bother taking part in that fight. A satisfied man, he retired at the end of the 2024 season at the age of 35. He was still world number 8 and by 2023 he had won Wimbledon, his only Slam title in men’s doubles.

“I am very happy with my decision,” said Koolhof The Hinduon the sidelines of the Dutch Davis Cup match against India, where he is the visitors’ assistant coach. “It is time for the next generation to step up and I am here to pass on my knowledge.”

Interestingly, Koolhof’s last appearance was in the Davis Cup Finals, where the legendary Rafael Nadal retired from competitive tennis.

Koolhof and Botic van de Zandschulp won the decisive doubles match in two tiebreak sets against Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers, ending the Spanish campaign in the quarter-finals.

The Netherlands ultimately lost its first final, easily to Italy, but the run put tennis back in the spotlight in a country still searching for its first Grand Slam singles champion since Richard Krajicek (Wimbledon 1996).

“When Spain announced that Nadal was playing, there was so much media attention,” Koolhof remembers. “There are also many Dutch people in Malaga and the atmosphere was incredible.

“In general it was good. I got a little more publicity. Football is great, but it was good for Dutch tennis.”