Thiemo De Bakker



Thiemo Carsten Jannick de Bakker (ur. 19 września 1988  w Hadze) - holenderski tenisista o statusie profesjonalnym. W 2006 lider juniorskiego rankingu ITF. Zwycięzca juniorskiego Wimbledonu. W finale, w roku 2006, pokonał polskiego tenisistę - Marcina Gawrona 6:2, 7:6. Dotarł także do półfinału juniorskiego turnieju Rolanda Garrosa. W swoim profesjonalnym debiucie - w turnieju ATP w Amersfoort  pokonał doświadczonego francuskiego gracza Juliena Benneteau.

W 2009 roku stał się pierwszym holenderskim graczem od 2004 roku, który awansował do pierwszej setki światowego rankingu. Zawdzięcza to czterem zwycięstwom w turniejach rangi challenger. Rok 2010 to jak do tej pory największy sukces de Bakkera - awans do półfinału turnieju w Barcelonie. W ćwierćfinale pokonał po raz pierwszy w karierze gracza z czołowej "dziesiątki" ATP - Francuza Jo-Wilfrieda Tsongę. Wynik ten dał mu awans do pierwszej pięćdziesiątki światowego rankingu.

Reprezentant Holandii w Pucharze Davisa z dorobkiem 4 zwycięstw i 5 porażek (stan na 27/04/2010). W 2009 roku, w Pucharze Davisa, pokonał gracza światowej czołówki - Gaëla Monfilsa, jednak Holandia przegrała z Francją 1:4 i spadła z grupy światowej.


Podoba mi się gra tego gościa Ciąg na siatkę, niezły wolej. Będę śledzić jego poczynania. Młody chłopak, ma szansę fajnie pograć

Ostatnio edytowany przez Kubecki (28-05-2010 16:49:05)

Thiemo w DEUCE.

Four years after winning the Wimbledon junior title, Thiemo de Bakker  has once again lifted hopes of a new  'golden generation' of Dutch tennis with his Top 50 breakthrough this season. Now, as he approaches his 22nd birthday, de Bakker is determined to raise his game to the next level.

It’s almost easy to forget that Thiemo de Bakker is just 21 years of age – in fact, the fifth youngest player in the current Top 100 – given that great things have been expected from the Dutchman for quite some time now. Listen to former World No. 4 Richard Krajicek, who asserts, “Thiemo is by far the biggest talent we have ever had in Dutch tennis,” or to former ATP World Tour Champions Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt, who’ve both labelled him a dangerous player, and it’s clear why.

Ten years after Krajicek became the first player from The Netherlands to win the Wimbledon title, de Bakker – another tall Dutchman with a big serve – captured the attention of his countrymen by replicating the achievement at the junior level and finishing the 2006 season as the world’s top-ranked junior.

    "Thiemo is by far the biggest talent we have ever had in Dutch tennis"

With his success came big expectations in a nation a decade removed from a ‘golden generation’ featuring Krajicek, Jan Siemerink, Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh, and eager to see the revival of a strong tennis tradition. Combined with the accomplishments of players like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray during their teenage years, hopes ran high that de Bakker could follow suit and carry the mantle for Holland.

But his transition to the tour, as is the case for many successful juniors, didn’t go exactly as planned.

While Juan Martin del Potro – exactly four days younger than the Dutchman – was making his breakthrough in the summer of 2008, winning his first four ATP World Tour titles in consecutive tournament appearances, de Bakker was playing on the ATP Challenger Tour and could count his number of tour-level main draw victories on one hand.

“They all want it quick, but you have to realise that everyone develops and matures at different times,” says Rohan Goetzke, Krajicek’s long-time coach and the current Technical Director at the Dutch Tennis Federation. “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.”

But for a player touted as the next big thing in Dutch tennis, the relatively slow progress led to frustration and concern. “The expectations got lower and lower. A lot of us thought he would never make it,” admits Dutch journalist Dick Springer. The inner tennis circle also had its share of skeptics. “There was talk that he was underachieving at one stage and what was going on,” remembers Goetzke.

For all the conversation swirling around him, de Bakker remained unperturbed. “I was so young. For me it didn’t really matter if it took a year or three years.” Springer recalls, “He was honest about it, saying there are more things in life that I like. He was very nice, but not very serious.”

    "I was so young. For me it didn’t really matter if it took a year or three years."

The turning point, ironically enough, came while he was on holiday in early 2009. While de Bakker lay on the beach, he reflected on everything he’d done and, more importantly, on what he hadn’t achieved. During his younger years, de Bakker managed to coast through on talent, but that didn’t cut it anymore. “I didn’t have to work real hard, and that came back on me,” he says. At that moment, he made the decision to do what it takes to make it on the professional tour.

With new focus, he began putting in the necessary hours on and off the court to improve his game and fitness – “I started working harder, being more serious; that was the biggest change” – and within months, the difference was noticeable. He went on a tear on the Challenger circuit, winning four titles and compiling a 23-2 record over a six-tournament stretch, and then followed with a quality win over a 13th-ranked Gael Monfils in the Davis Cup World Group play-offs on home soil.

“At the end of the year I started winning the important matches,” he says. “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.”

Though success arrived in a sudden flood of titles, it didn’t come as a complete surprise to those around him. “When he has something in his head and made up his mind to do something, he will do everything to reach this goal,” says Mats Merkel, of the Adidas Player Development Program, who has been sharing coaching duties with Goetzke and Davis Cup captain Siemerink this season.
De Bakker’s determination was evident as he began his first full season on the ATP World Tour. After finishing just within the year-end Top 100, he set out a new goal of cracking the Top 50 in 2010 and reached his goal four months into the year – courtesy of a semi-final showing in Barcelona with wins over former Roland Garros champion Juan Carlos Ferrero and World No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. By mid-June, he’d broken the Top 40 barrier.

“I knew I had the capability, but you still have to do it,” says de Bakker. “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.”

To continue his development, de Bakker added physical trainer Damian Prasad to his team this summer and made the trip to Las Vegas in the dead heat of July for a 13-day training session with the Adidas Player Development program. A typical day began with an 8 a.m. breakfast, followed by two-and-a-half hour strength sessions with Gil Reyes, lunch, two hours of practice with Merkel and Darren Cahill, physical treatment, dinner at 8:30 p.m., and an occasional trip to the go-kart track. “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,” says Merkel.

De Bakker’s efforts this season have once again reignited chatter in his home country, where Davis Cup ties have become a hot ticket with both de Bakker and Robin Haase ranked in the Top 100 and Jesse Huta Galung and Igor Sijsling also on their way up. “Now everybody is already talking about how long will it 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,” says Springer.

    "He has ability. We’ll have to see if he can wear those shoes."

Goetzke has always had faith in de Bakker, but is careful not to make any predictions when he hears the comparisons between Krajicek and de Bakker. “He’s put himself in the position where he’s playing with the big boys, which is a big step for him,” says Goetzke. “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.”

De Bakker still feels he has a long way to go before he can earn comparisons to the likes of Krajicek, but understands the hopes he shoulders. “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.” As for now, de Bakker is more concerned with realistic goals for this season. “I still have a lot of points to defend,” he says. “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.”
The next few years should provide a more accurate benchmark of de Bakker’s standing on the ATP World Tour as he continues to refine his game, improve his fitness and grow in confidence and experience. Krajicek, who won the Wimbledon  title at 24 years of age, believes that de Bakker is on the right track to the top. “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.”

But there’s no sense of urgency from de Bakker, whom Merkel describes as “a very calm person who likes to observe things precisely”. Given that the average age of players in the Top 100 is 26 and the average of the Top 10 is 25, de Bakker is actually way ahead of the game.

“Now I’m still pretty young, I think,” he says. “It took me a while, but I got here and that’s the most important thing.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/DEUCE- … -Rise.aspx

Ostatnio edytowany przez Kubecki (27-08-2010 10:42:15)

US Open 2010 - wywiad po porażce w 3 rundzie

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It was a bad combination for you, it seemed, with you playing pretty badly and him playing pretty well.

THIEMO de BAKKER: Ah, I think it wasn't a pretty match, but tough conditions. It was a lot of wind on court. I think we were both struggling a little bit, actually. He was also struggling with his serve. I didn't serve well at all. So it was tough. Yeah, he did better than me with the conditions.

Q. You're similar to him in size. You could also make very good power. Can you say a few words about what it's like to play against his level of power and his all court game?

THIEMO de BAKKER: He serves really well normally, especially the first serve, especially also the second normally. Today it was a little less because of the wind. It was tough to throw the ball because it was flying away always. But he's not playing that flat always. With backhand he's pretty flat, but forehand he hits it pretty heavy. When he can execute, he executes. If he does it, he does it well. So I think that's the biggest thing, also. When I get the chances, I need more shots instead of the one shot that he needs to do it.

Q. Despite your loss today, you made pretty good progress recently. What do you need to do to go to the next level?

THIEMO de BAKKER: Ah, I have to develop my game still. Physically, tennis wise, I need to get more decent with a few things, with executing shots. Just need to get to the next level on those things to get a good match against these guys.

Q. There are no teenagers in the top 100. Why do you think it's so difficult for teenagers to breakthrough like they used to?

THIEMO de BAKKER: There are a few, Del Potro, Cilic, Gulbis, me, Dolgopolov. There are a few. I'm not sure what the effort is to breakthrough. I'm still young. I think I'm pretty young to breakthrough, so I think it's tough. I mean, the guys -- the game got so physically these days, so I mean, yeah, the older you get, the more physical stronger you get. So when you're young -- I mean, it's tough to compete with the bigger guys, so I think that's also a big thing.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interv … 62904.html

2010 NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR



Thiemo de Bakker

Touted by former World No. 4 Richard Krajicek as “by far the biggest talent we have ever had in Dutch tennis,” 2006 Wimbledon junior champion Thiemo de Bakker has taken a big step towards fulfilling his potential this season by climbing to a year-end ranking of World No. 43, just three places down from his career high. The 22-year-old Dutchman, who at 6’4 boasts a big serve and favours his forehand, cracked the Top 50 in April after a semi-final showing in Barcelona, where he defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on his preferred clay surface. “I knew I had the capability, but you still have to do it,” said de Bakker in DEUCE Magazine soon after. “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.”

Later in the year de Bakker reached the third round at Wimbledon (l. to Mathieu) and the semi-finals in New Haven (l. to Stakhovsky). “If he continues this way, then he can win Grand Slams and become a Top 5 player in the near future,” said former Wimbledon champion Krajicek. Considering the weight of expectation surrounding him, de Bakker calmly noted, “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.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … -Year.aspx