Jesper de Jong fulfills his grandfather's dream

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Although the tennis player's journey is one of the loneliest in the world of sports, we all know that in reality, no tennis player is ever truly alone. Jesper De Jong, for example, is one of the latest to fulfill a lifelong dream, that of breaking into the top 100 of the world rankings. However, it was a dream shared with his grandfather, possibly the most special person in his life. Sadly departed three years ago, the Dutch player still holds the figure of Jan close to his heart, the man who first put a racket in his hand and who, wherever he is, surely follows his grandson's path with a smile.

“I remember him every day; he was a very caring person who loved tennis,” recalls Jesper in a beautiful feature piece by ATP. “His profession was football coach, although he was always a sports fanatic. Basically, all athletes in Holland would receive text messages from my grandfather if they performed well in their disciplines. I don't know how he did it, but he followed them all at the same time, it was quite funny. My grandfather was a well-known figure; he would come to all my tournaments, everyone loved him. The day he passed away was very sad; everyone misses him,” the Haarlem native recalls with pain.

Before he passed, Jesper's grandfather left him a couple of 'tasks,' two missions, so to speak, for his grandson to be proud of: to reach the top 100 and compete in the Grand Slam main draws. Perhaps Jesper didn't fully understand it back then, but his grandfather would always be proud of him, whatever happened. Just in case, he set out to pursue these two challenges until his last drop of sweat. The ultimate reward came just a few days ago, at 24 years old, with his grandfather watching the scene from beyond.

“I keep him very close in mind; my grandfather was my biggest fan. I have a lot of photos with him. I think I explained it perfectly in the post I shared on Instagram: ‘Thanks to all who have been there from my first success to my arrival in the top 100.’ All those people are very important along the way; they are key pieces in the puzzle of my career,” contrasts the Dutchman in his statement, who had already experienced playing in his first Grand Slam main draws in 2024.

“In 2022, I reached the final round of the US Open qualifying, even going up a break in the third set, but it wasn't meant to be. That was the last chance for my grandfather to see his dream fulfilled, as we all knew he wouldn't hold on much longer. Unfortunately, he passed away two months later. That's when I got the tattoo, but it would still take one more year to reach my first Grand Slam main draw, at the 2024 Australian Open. That's when I added a star to the tattoo, the final piece of the puzzle,” the player shared emotionally.

PURSUING THE TOP 100

Jannik Sinner halted him at that Australian Open, while Carlos Alcaraz did the same at Roland Garros. Both matches happened in the second round, and both players went on to win the tournament. However, the most painful defeats came in the summer when De Jong saw his top 100 arrival so close that he never imagined he would still have to wait until 2025 to place the final piece. It had to happen in Spain, with his final at the Murcia Challenger and his semifinal at the Girona Challenger, where he finally broke through his ceiling to fulfill his grandfather's wish.

“Truth is, I was checking the rankings a lot, maybe too much. I don't know, I think it's pretty normal when you have such a close goal. At times, I was virtually #100 but the rankings didn't update on Monday; I had to wait another week because others were still playing,” he reflects. “Suddenly, all those behind me lost, and I reached the semifinals in Girona. I remember being #103 in July, just three points away, but I only achieved it nine months later. I'm very relieved to have finally made it,” he concludes.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jesper de Jong cumple el sueño de su abuelo