Botic van de Zandschulp

1.1. Birth and upbringing

Botic van de Zandschulp was born on 4 October 1995, in Wageningen, Gelderland, Netherlands. He turned professional in 2013, beginning his journey in the sport.

1.2. Physical characteristics and playing style

Van de Zandschulp stands at 75 in ^{(191 cm)} and weighs 187 lb ^{(85 kg)}. He plays right-handed and employs a two-handed backhand, which is a key component of his game.

2.1. Early Career (Futures and Challenger)

Van de Zandschulp began his professional career in 2013. In August 2016, he secured his first Futures title at the Netherlands F6 in Rotterdam, defeating Boy Westerhof 6-2, 6-4. He followed this with two more Futures titles that year, finishing 2016 with a singles ranking of No. 402.

In August 2017, partnering with Boy Westerhof, he won his first ATP Challenger Tour doubles title at the TEAN International in Alphen. He also reached three Futures singles finals and won six Futures doubles titles, ending the year ranked No. 459 in singles and No. 260 in doubles. In 2018, he continued to compete on the Futures circuit, reaching two singles finals and winning four doubles titles, with his singles ranking at No. 537 by year-end.

His first ATP Challenger singles title came in October 2019 at the Tennis Challenger Hamburg in Hamburg, where he defeated Bernabé Zapata Miralles 6-3, 5-7, 6-1. He also made his Davis Cup debut that year, contributing to his year-end singles ranking of No. 198.

In 2020, van de Zandschulp made his Grand Slam qualifying debut at the Australian Open, losing in the first round of qualifying. He reached the final of the Koblenz Challenger in February, losing to Tomáš Macháč, and also qualified for the main draw of the French Open, where he won his first qualifying match before falling in the second round. In October, he was a runner-up at the Wolffkran Open, losing to Marc-Andrea Hüsler. He concluded 2020 ranked No. 156.

2.2. 2021: Breakthrough Year

The 2021 season marked a significant turning point in van de Zandschulp's career. He qualified for his first Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open, where he was defeated by fellow qualifier Carlos Alcaraz in the first round. This result saw him reach a career-high ranking of No. 145 on 22 February 2021, and he briefly became the No. 1 Dutch singles player from 8 February to 22 March 2021.

He continued his Grand Slam qualifying success at the French Open, where he secured his first Grand Slam main draw victory by defeating the No. 19 seed Hubert Hurkacz in five sets. He then lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round.

At the Wimbledon Championships, he entered the main draw as a lucky loser following the withdrawal of Dominic Thiem. He defeated qualifier Grégoire Barrère in the first round before falling to the seventh seed Matteo Berrettini in the second round. In July, he reached the final of the Dutch Open in Amersfoort, losing to compatriot Tallon Griekspoor. On 30 August 2021, he reclaimed the No. 1 Dutch player spot, reaching world No. 117.

His most notable performance of the year came at the US Open. Despite having only five ATP Tour match wins prior to the tournament, he qualified for the main draw, becoming the only man to progress to the main draw of all four majors through qualifying in 2021. He made a deep run, defeating Carlos Taberner, world No. 11 and eighth seed Casper Ruud, Facundo Bagnis, and world No. 14 and eleventh seed Diego Schwartzman in a five-set match to reach his maiden major quarterfinal. There, he lost to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev, but notably became the only player to take a set off Medvedev in the tournament. This achievement made him only the third male qualifier in US Open history to reach the quarterfinals (after Nicolas Escudé in 1999 and Gilles Müller in 2008). He was also the first Dutch man to reach a major quarterfinal since Sjeng Schalken at the 2003 US Open and 2004 Wimbledon. As a result of his US Open performance, he entered the top 100 for the first time, reaching world No. 62 on 13 September 2021.

He made his ATP Masters 1000 debut at the Indian Wells Masters, qualifying into the main draw before losing to Marcos Giron in the first round. At the 2021 St. Petersburg Open, he qualified and reached the semifinals, securing his biggest career win by defeating world No. 6 and top seed Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. He then lost to Marin Čilić. He reached the quarterfinals of the 2021 Stockholm Open, losing to second seed Félix Auger-Aliassime, and entered the top 60 at world No. 57 on 15 November 2021.

2.3. 2022: Top 25 Ranking and First ATP Final

Van de Zandschulp started 2022 by reaching the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Summer Set, where he lost to Grigor Dimitrov. At the Australian Open, he reached the third round before falling to world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev. This result propelled him into the top 50 for the first time on 31 January 2022.

In March, he reached the third round at Indian Wells, securing his second top 10 victory over world No. 9 Félix Auger-Aliassime in three sets, before losing to Miomir Kecmanović. He then lost in the first round of the Miami Open to Mikhail Kukushkin. He reached his second ATP Tour-level quarterfinal of the year at the Marrakech tournament, where he lost to Alex Molčan. At the Monte-Carlo Masters, he lost in the first round to Sebastian Korda. On 25 April 2022, he entered the top 40.

As the eighth seed at the BMW Open in Munich, van de Zandschulp defeated Brandon Nakashima and Egor Gerasimov to reach the quarterfinals. He then upset second seed Casper Ruud in straight sets to reach the semifinals, where he defeated seventh seed Miomir Kecmanović in a nearly three-hour match. This made him the first Dutch male player to reach an ATP Tour-level singles final since Robin Haase in 2016. He was forced to retire in the final against Holger Rune due to chest pain.

At the Madrid Open, he saved three match points to advance to the second round for the first time at this Masters event against Pablo Carreño Busta. He also reached the second round of the Italian Open on his debut, defeating Sebastian Korda. As a result, he entered the top 30, reaching world No. 29 on 16 May 2022.

Van de Zandschulp was seeded for the first time at a major at the French Open, where he reached the third round before losing to 13-time champion Rafael Nadal in their first meeting. He then played his first grass tournament on home soil at the Libéma Open in s'Hertogenbosch, losing to Emil Ruusuvuori. The following week at the Queen's Club Championships, he reached his first ATP 500 semifinal, becoming the first Dutchman to do so since Sjeng Schalken and Raemon Sluiter in 2002.

He reached a career-high ranking of world No. 25 on 27 June 2022, at the start of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Seeded 21st, he reached the fourth round, where he again lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets. At the 2022 Winston-Salem Open, he reached his third tour-level semifinal of the season, defeating 10th seed Benjamin Bonzi. In October, he reached the second round of the Astana Open, losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. He concluded his successful year by winning his maiden ATP Tour doubles title at the European Open in Antwerp, partnering with Tallon Griekspoor. He finished 2022 ranked No. 35.

2.4. 2023: Masters Fourth Round & First Top 5 Win

Van de Zandschulp began his 2023 season at the Maharashtra Open in Pune, where he reached the semifinals, losing to Benjamin Bonzi. Seeded 32nd at the Australian Open, he was defeated in the second round by compatriot Tallon Griekspoor.

In February, he competed at the Rotterdam Open, losing in the second round to sixth seed and eventual champion, Daniil Medvedev. At the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, he was eliminated in the second round of singles by qualifier Alexandre Müller. However, in doubles, he and partner Constant Lestienne reached the final, losing to Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden. In Dubai, he defeated sixth seed and world No. 14 Karen Khachanov in the first round before losing in the quarterfinals to second seed and defending champion Andrey Rublev.

In March, seeded 28th at the Indian Wells Masters, he retired during his second-round match. Seeded 26th at the 2023 Miami Open, he received a first-round bye and reached his first Masters 1000 fourth round, defeating Alexei Popyrin and third seed and world No. 4 Casper Ruud. This marked his first career victory over a top 5 ranked opponent.

In April, he reached his second consecutive final at the BMW Open in Munich. He defeated Aslan Karatsev and Marcos Giron to reach the semifinals, then upset second seed and world No. 10 Taylor Fritz in straight sets, marking his second top 10 win of the season. He faced Holger Rune in a rematch of the previous year's final, losing in three sets despite holding four championship points. In May, van de Zandschulp hired fellow Dutchman Sven Groeneveld as his new coach, parting ways with his long-time coach Lucassen. He also reached his first Masters doubles final at the Italian Open, partnering with compatriot Robin Haase. He finished 2023 ranked No. 50.

2.5. 2024: US Open Upset and Davis Cup Finalist

In mid-April 2024, after a second-round loss at the BMW Open in Munich, van de Zandschulp dropped out of the top 100 in the rankings. However, he returned to the top 75 on 5 August 2024, following two runner-up finishes at ATP Challenger events: the Brawo Open in July and the Platzmann-Sauerland Open in August.

At the US Open, he reached the second round for the fourth consecutive year with a victory over Denis Shapovalov. In the second round, he achieved a significant upset, defeating third seed, former world No. 1, and US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. This victory ended Alcaraz's 15-match Grand Slam winning streak and marked van de Zandschulp's first win over a top 3 player and a Grand Slam champion. He was also the first Dutchman to defeat a top 3 player at the US Open since Paul Haarhuis defeated world No. 1 Boris Becker in 1991. Van de Zandschulp's run ended in the third round, where he lost to 25th seed Jack Draper. He finished 2024 ranked No. 80.

On 22 November, van de Zandschulp played a pivotal role in the Netherlands reaching the final of the 2024 Davis Cup for the first time in their country's history. In the quarterfinals against Spain, he defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets, marking Nadal's final career match. In the semifinals against Germany, he won his singles rubber against Daniel Altmaier, contributing to the Netherlands' historic progression. In the final against defending champions Italy, he lost his singles match to Matteo Berrettini, as the Netherlands ultimately finished as runner-up.

3.1. Grand Slam and ATP Tour Performance

His performance in Grand Slam tournaments and ATP Tour events is summarized below. His career win-loss record stands at 95-93.

Botic van de Zandschulp has reached two ATP Tour singles finals, both at the BMW Open in Munich, and has been a runner-up in both instances.

In doubles, he has participated in five ATP Tour finals, winning two titles and finishing as runner-up three times.

3.2. ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Performance

Van de Zandschulp has competed extensively on the ATP Challenger Tour and the ITF World Tennis Tour, achieving several titles and runner-up finishes.

On the ATP Challenger Tour, he has reached six singles finals, winning one title and finishing as runner-up five times.

He has won one ATP Challenger doubles title.

On the ITF Futures/World Tennis Tour, van de Zandschulp has reached 15 singles finals, securing 6 titles and 9 runner-up finishes.

In doubles on the ITF Futures/World Tennis Tour, he has an impressive record of 16 titles and 3 runner-up finishes from 19 finals.

3.3. Wins over Top 10 Players

Botic van de Zandschulp holds a 7-19 record against players who were ranked in the world's top 10 at the time of their match.

4.1. Davis Cup

Van de Zandschulp has actively participated in the Davis Cup, contributing to the Netherlands' team efforts. His Davis Cup singles record stands at 5-2.