Wesley Koolhof Interview | Doubles tennis is a great different discipline

Wesley Koolhof’s last 5 tournaments arsenic a nonrecreational tennis subordinate went similar this — Davis Cup runner-up, quality astatine the year-ending ATP Finals, champion astatine Paris Masters, finalist astatine Basel ATP 500 and victor astatine Shanghai Masters.

The Dutchman’s vocation ended with a nerve-wracking decisive doubles triumph alongside Botic van de Zandschulp [7-6(4), 7-6(3)] implicit Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, which besides brought the curtains down connected the legendary Rafael Nadal’s playing time.

Koolhof was ranked No. 8 successful the World, was conscionable 35 and had won the Wimbledon men’s doubles rubric conscionable implicit 16 months ago. If anyone needed a text-book explanation of however to extremity a sporting vocation connected high, it was this.

Yet, Koolhof has nary qualms astir giving up the athletics helium loved truthful overmuch and played truthful well, and the erstwhile World No. 1 is enjoying his existent stint arsenic the adjunct manager of the Netherlands Davis Cup team. He spoke to The Hindu in Bengaluru earlier the caller Cup Qualifiers first-round tie, which the European federation yet mislaid 2-3. Excerpts:

How has your modulation to coaching been?

It was really beauteous easy. I stopped successful November of 2024 and I was offered this relation successful February. I knew astatine the clip I inactive wanted to bash thing successful tennis. And they asked maine if I wanted to fulfil this role. Davis Cup is thing special, thing different. So I was much than blessed to enactment and assistance the team.

In the Netherlands, we spot large teams successful hockey and football. Is Davis Cup besides valued? It’s besides a squad event...

Hockey and shot are higher successful ranking than tennis, but each clip we person a location [Davis Cup] tie, it’s sold out, with astir 3,500 people. It’s fundamentally much of a party, a antithetic atmosphere. Tennis is the 3rd oregon 4th biggest athletics successful Holland and it is besides valued from the players side. It’s ever a imagination to play for your state and we worth it.

In 2024, you were successful the Netherlands squad that reached its maiden Davis Cup final. How was that experience?

Pretty good. I knew it was going to beryllium my past event. As a whole, the vigor astir it successful Spain was great. Spain announced that [Rafael] Nadal was going to play, which everyone knew was going to beryllium his last. So the ambiance was unbelievable. It was 1 of my better... oregon possibly the champion lucifer I’ve played successful my career. Not galore radical tin accidental that your past lucifer was your best. I enjoyed it a lot. I was precise blessed with my level and precise blessed for the squad due to the fact that the 2 years earlier we mislaid successful the quarter-finals.

It was a bully happening that we made the final. Got a spot much publicity. Still, if the shot squad finishes 2nd successful the World Cup, they volition beryllium going done the streets successful Amsterdam successful buses and whatever. But I deliberation it was a precise bully happening for Dutch tennis.

Why is the Netherlands not capable to nutrient apical singles players similar before? You person Tallon Griekspoor and van de Zandschulp now, but not idiosyncratic similar Richard Krajicek (Wimbledon 1996 champion) oregon Martin Verkerk (2003 French Open finalist).

Good question, but not sure. Of course, successful doubles we had a batch of palmy players, like Jacco Eltingh (six Majors), Paul Haarhuis (six Majors), myself. But singles, I don’t truly cognize why. I deliberation sometimes you person this play wherever a batch of players are coming up and past immoderate periods wherever thing happens. Tallon has reached the 20s successful the rankings but missed retired connected the adjacent step. But I’m not definite wherefore singles players are not coming through.

How has doubles tennis changed?

The biggest alteration is that it utilized to beryllium much for the older singles guys who are inactive bully capable tennis players but can’t marque it anymore in singles. But now, it’s a batch of younger guys with not overmuch singles experience. We really looked astatine the apical 100 successful doubles to spot however galore apical 100 singles players were there. It was 19 oregon something, and that’s a lot. So radical are starting younger. There’s evidently much money. Maybe radical realise faster that they can’t marque it successful singles. I realised successful 2015 oregon something, beauteous young. Also, erstwhile it utilized to beryllium the older singles guys, everyone knew them. Nowadays, you person the younger guys, almighty guys, and nary 1 truly knows them. It has go accelerated doubles. One, two, 3 shots. It tin beryllium boring from clip to time, but with deciding points connected deuces and lucifer tie-breaks arsenic 3rd set, if you suffer absorption for 5 minutes, you tin beryllium successful trouble. I deliberation it has conscionable became much versatile and faster. That’s the biggest change.

Has coaching for doubles changed? How bash you attack those who are predominantly singles players but play doubles during Davis Cup?

A small bit. Nowadays you spot that a batch of singles players are astatine slightest playing doubles. It whitethorn beryllium for immoderate wealth oregon to get a spot much experience. Some singles guys adjacent person an advantage. If you person a Ben Shelton playing doubles, and tin service 2 oregon 3 aces and tin deed conscionable harder, it is simply a bully option. Some singles players person better skillsets than a doubles specialist. Doubles is astir intuition, absorption and volleys astatine the net, which specialists are usually amended at. But sometimes a spot of brute unit besides helps.

Doubles is spectator-friendly. Are tennis authorities doing capable to beforehand it? There besides seems to beryllium this content that if you beforehand doubles, you’re not promoting existent tennis. Even Grand Slams enactment conscionable singles matches connected amusement courts...

It’s ever pugnacious due to the fact that each Slam has its ain presumption connected things. Understandably, singles is the main priority. Some tournaments accidental doubles costs money. Sometimes, there’s a presumption of the doubles players arsenic atrocious tennis players, which is evidently pugnacious to hear. I was successful the assembly at ATP for 2 years, trying to beforehand it more, but it’s tough.

Were radical not receptive to your ideas?

It depends connected the state wherever you are. India is simply a large doubles country, with [Rohan] Bopanna, Leander Paes and everyone. America is big, but successful Spain, it’s not that big. Italy is not great. At Indian Wells [Masters 1000], they ticker a batch of doubles. But if you are astatine the Madrid Open, not galore radical truly care.

Can singles and doubles thrive together?

Yes, they can. I deliberation doubles is simply a large antithetic discipline. Singles nowadays has similar 10-12 shots backmost and distant and it’s a spot similar chess. Doubles tin beryllium faster and precise spectacular. The lone occupation is that doubles is being played astatine specified a precocious level that opponents are putting truthful overmuch unit connected you that you miss returns and stuff. And 20 seconds later, the constituent starts again. So it tin beryllium boring.

But I bash judge that doubles is simply a abstracted discipline. I’ve played with Botic [in Davis Cup] against 2 of the champion singles players successful the world. We triumph 6 and 6. I’m not going to accidental it’s easy, but I inactive person a accidental if I play singles against immoderate of the three. So we bash thing well. Bopanna… what was he? 43? And helium inactive won a Slam! So yeah, we bash thing good.

How was it to triumph Wimbledon?

It was fundamentally the commencement of the end. Winning Wimbledon successful 2023 was unbelievable. It was with Brit Neal Skupski, truthful that helped due to the fact that we were playing astatine ‘home’. I’d ne'er played connected Centre Court. If you’re precise lucky, you get squeezed successful somehow, different it’s conscionable the final. So I acceptable the extremity earlier the tourney to play connected Centre Court. Personally, I played 1 of the amended tournaments successful my life. I was not tense astatine all. I had won Masters tournaments, and the London Nitto [ATP] Finals successful 2020. Winning Wimbledon was the lone happening I hadn’t done yet. So it was great.

How were you received backmost location aft that triumph?

It was good actually, not that big. We travel backmost to your erstwhile question astir however large is doubles erstwhile compared to singles. If Tallon or Botic would triumph Wimbledon, there’d overmuch much attention. So for me, it was really not much, which was okay. I don’t truly privation to beryllium successful the spotlight anyway. But it was a spot weird not to get the attention. I was good with it, but [winning Wimbledon] doesn’t hap each 2 years. May beryllium they could person done a spot more.

Don’t you consciousness you retired early?

No. I said to myself aft winning Wimbledon, ‘Okay, respect for everyone who is going for the third, fourth, 5th Slam and to those who are supra 40. For maine it’s enough’. I wanted to beryllium location more. I besides wanted to commencement a family. But monolithic respect for Bops [Bopanna], who made it until 45, inactive winning Slams and being arsenic acceptable arsenic helium was. But I’m blessed with my decision.