"Our objective was not to lose in the quarterfinals"

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What Netherlands has just achieved in this 2024 Davis Cup is highly commendable. An historic achievement, as the tulips had never reached this far in the competition, despite being a country that debuted in the competition 104 years ago. What was needed to perform this miracle? The combination of Tallon Griekspoor, Botic Van de Zandschulp, Wesley Koolhof, Jesper De Jong, and finally, captain Paul Haarhuis. After defeating Spain (2-1) and toppling Germany (2-0), this is how emotional the press conference was for the first country to qualify for the grand final on Sunday.

PAUL HAARHUIS (C)

"The key to everything is the team effort and self-belief. Our goal was not to lose in the quarter-finals for the third consecutive year, and we believed we could achieve it, although we had a very tough draw against Spain. It was great to reach the semi-finals and then face Germany, whom we also thought we could beat. It was a great tie for us, and it's amazing to see how the guys pulled it off, playing tremendously well with heart and showing what they are made of."

"I suppose these players are better now, I couldn't tell you where the difference lies. They created opportunities and believed in themselves. You know how tennis is, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. When we reached the semi-finals 23 years ago, we were very unlucky; Sluiter got injured in the first match, and it ruined the entire tie. Today, these guys were incredible, just like on Tuesday; it's all about self-belief. This had to happen someday; we had been seeking it for two years, but to reach this point, we had to do things amazingly well. It's not like we sat down and said we would go beyond the quarter-finals, but we knew we could do it. It's all about experience, that's the key."

"The format seems to suit us, though the first two tie matches depend a lot on experience, as Tallon and Botic weren't as good three years ago as they are now. Both have been on the ATP tour for a long time, gaining experience, so each year the occasion became more important. Now I see them much more confident; as I mentioned, confidence is key, as well as the whole team staying united. Maybe a new player comes in every now and then, but the core has remained intact for the last 5 years, which is very important. It's an ingredient that explains our success; we are a very small country, what we are achieving is nothing like Italy, for instance, who have the world's No. 1. For us, it's a much bigger feat to have the opportunity to win the Davis Cup."

BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP

"I can remember the matches I lost in my career, but not those where I had so many match points and ended up winning. Perhaps I could have closed it out much earlier, but that's tennis; he played great tennis in those crucial points. There was a moment, I think at 8-7 and the ninth match point, where I didn't know what to do anymore, had no idea how to end the point. I'm glad I made it."

TALLON GRIEKSPOR

"It's very nice to secure the final point; I think it's the first time I've done so, usually I left it to the doubles (laughs). It was a great match, I got an early break in the third set, which helped me get through the match. I know what I can do, I believe in myself in these situations, my serve gives me confidence, in fact, I'm very happy with how I closed out the match. I'm proud personally and also proud of the team. It hasn't been easy; it has required a great effort, so I'm happy to have made it to Sunday and given ourselves this beautiful opportunity to fight for the trophy."

WESLEY KOOLHOF

"I'm not sure if I ever dreamed of this, maybe I imagined it, surely this is one of the reasons why I wanted to play at least one more year, especially for the Olympics and the Davis Cup. We knew we had an incredible team, we reached the quarter-finals twice, and we did it with the same team. The feeling right now is incredible; to think of playing my last match here… or maybe I already played it, I don't know. Being in the final is a dream come true, being part of a team like this, we are making history for our country."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, “Nuestro objetivo era no perder en cuartos de final”