New Haven: Baghdatis, de Bakker Into Quarters
New tennis generation shines in New Haven. Apart from Cypriot’s progress into the last eight round, it was also Dutch Thiemo de Bakker, the one who won the Wimbledon junior title four years ago at the age of 17, who passed German Florian Mayer in the third round in three sets 6-7, 6-1, 7-5. Marcos Baghdatis, top seeded at the American tournament, defeated Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela also in three sets 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 to meet Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky in the quarters, while de Bakker will play Kazakhstan’s Evgeny Korolev, who also beat Illiya Marchenko in the third round with 7-6 6-4.
The other two quarters will be disputed between Serbian Viktor Troicki vs Radek Stephanek and Teimuraz Gabashvili from Russia vs Uzbeki Denis Istonim. De Bakker’s recent performance draw everyone’s attention and praise, from big former tennis veterans to the best coaches, all of these ones confirm that a new generation that follows Nadal is about to be born. Former number four ATP Richard Krajicek said of the 21-year-old that “is by far the biggest talent we have ever had in Dutch tennis,” while few of his biggest opponents, including Lleyton Hewitt and US Andy Roddick claimed of the Dutch that is a very dangerous player who is able to play the best tennis today. The many expect already the Dutch to double-jump into the top 10 ATP, this thing couldn’t be that easy to realize, according to Technical Director of the Dutch Tennis Federation, Rohan Goetzke. “They all want it quick, but you have to realise that everyone develops and matures at different times. A lot of young players are being compared to a Nadal or a Djokovic or a Murray, but they’re exceptions. For sure some people will say he’s behind schedule, but if you see the line we mapped out in the rankings and the goals, he’s on the line,” he said.
“The expectations got lower and lower. A lot of us thought he would never make it,” Dutch journalist Dick Springer also claimed. “There was talk that he was underachieving at one stage and what was going on,” Goetzke remembered. “I was so young. For me it didn’t really matter if it took a year or three years. He was honest about it, saying there are more things in life that I like. He was very nice, but not very serious,” the journalist added. The player is aware of his great talent, this remembering that he didn’t work as hard as his good results might say. “I didn’t have to work real hard, and that came back on me. I started working harder, being more serious; that was the biggest change. At the end of the year I started winning the important matches. That gave me confidence. After that, I played more decent. My basic game started to be pretty solid. From there I started to play better and better, more confident each week.” The Dutch won four titles on the Challenger circuit, followed by a wonderful victory against 13 seeded ATP French Gael Monfils.
“When he has something in his head and made up his mind to do something, he will do everything to reach this goal,” Mats Merkel of Adidas Player Development Program described the youngster. De Bakker entered the best 40 ATP in June this year, and is now warning to produce another big surprise at the US Open which is scheduled to start this month 30. “I knew I had the capability, but you still have to do it. Until now I’ve had a pretty decent year, and I’m happy with the way it’s gone. Hopefully I can bring it up even higher and see how far it goes,” the Dutch said,” while Merkel continued describing the remarkable youngster. “On the court he likes to work hard and be efficient at the same time. Come in, get the work done and get out again to relax the mind and get away from the site.”
Journalist Springer acknowledged that the many are now asking how long it will take Bakker to claim his first major title as a professional. “Now everybody is already talking about how long it will take Thiemo before he wins his first big tournament. They’re even thinking about will he be the next Richard Krajicek, to win a Grand Slam title.” Goetzke, who always had faith in the youngster, claimed that Thiemo made one of the biggest steps towards the big achievements, this getting used to play against big names over the past months, thing which surely gives him lot of self-confidence. “He’s put himself in the position where he’s playing with the big boys, which is a big step for him. He’s winning matches at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000s, in the Grand Slams. The thing is to move up and consolidate himself in those big tournaments and see if he can make that next step… He has ability. We’ll have to see if he can wear those shoes.”
Here, de Bakker replied that he’s aware of his current capacity, mentioning in the same that despite he’s not used to be compared with Krajicek, the biggest surprises won’t be late to come. “They expect more. I think that’s normal. I do my best and try to win every match. I try to improve every week, and I think there’s nothing more I can do. I still have a lot of points to defend. If I can end up Top 50, 40, I’ll be pretty happy. For sure I want to be higher, but to be reasonable it’s a good thing to start with,” Bakker added. Krajicek himself didn’t miss the chance to praise the youngster who sees in Thiemo high potential that surely hides plenty of successes that are about to come out. “Since April 2009, he has changed the way he approaches the game. He is now much more professional and understands that he has to work hard to get results. If he continues this way, then he can win Grand Slams and become a Top 5 player in the near future,” the veteran, who won the Wimbledon title at the age of 24, said.
