Krajicek at theEastbourne International tennis tournament in 2011. | |
| Country (sports) | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Muiderberg, Netherlands |
| Born | (1971-12-06)6 December 1971 (age 53) Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Turned pro | 1989 |
| Retired | 2003 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $10,077,425 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 411–219 (65.2%) |
| Career titles | 17 |
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (29 March 1999) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1992) |
| French Open | SF (1993) |
| Wimbledon | W (1996) |
| US Open | QF (1997,1999,2000) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | SF (1996) |
| Grand Slam Cup | QF (1992,1996) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 77–60 (56.2%) |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 45 (26 July 1993) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1992) |
| French Open | 3R (1991) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1991) |
| US Open | 1R (1995) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | QF (1993,1994,1995) |
Richard Peter Stanislav Krajicek (Czech:Krajíček; born 6 December 1971) is a Dutch former professionaltennis player andtournament director. Krajicek won 17 singles titles during his career, including the1996 Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first (and only) Dutchman to win amajor singles title. He reached a career high world No. 4 ranking in men's singles by theAssociation of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in March 1999. Retiring from the sport in 2003, Krajicek has been the tournament director of theRotterdam Open since 2004. He is also the author of various sports books.
Richard Krajicek is the son ofCzech immigrants and grew up inThe Hague. In primary school, he was in the same class as later professionalroad bicyle racerMichael Boogerd.[1] Nicknamed "de Kraai" (Dutch for "the crow") in his home country, one of Krajicek's siblings isMichaëlla Krajicek, a half-sister and fellow tennis professional. A distant cousin of his is another tennis player, the AmericanAustin Krajicek.[2]
In the nineties Krajicek had a relationship with Italian actress and modelLory Del Santo,[3] with whom he had a son who was born prematurely and died of an infection after two weeks of life.[4] In 1999, he married model, writer and hostess of Holland's Next Top Model and Benelux's Next Top Model,Daphne Deckers, with whom he lives inMuiderberg and has two children (a son and a daughter).[5]
Krajicek is a member of thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), a political party in the Netherlands.[6]
Richard Krajicek began playing tennis at the age of four. As a youngster he won both the Dutch under-12 and the under-14 National Championships twice. His biggest achievement as a youngster was winning the Wiltshire Open in the UK after beating Steven White in straight sets in the final. He turned professional in 1989, and in 1991 won his first top-level singles title inHong Kong and his first tour doubles title at theDutch Open.
In 1992, the 1.95 metres (6 feet 5 inches) Dutchman reached his firstGrand Slam semi-finals at theAustralian Open. He had to withdraw from this semi-final match due to a shoulder injury. The next year, he reached the semi-finals at the French Open, where he lost in four sets to the defending championJim Courier. Also in 1992, Krajicek made a controversial comment regardingequal pay for women in Grand Slam events, saying, "Eighty percent of the top 100 women are fat pigs who don't deserve equal pay." Later, he jokingly clarified his comments, remarking, "What I meant to say was that only 75 percent are fat pigs."[7]
At the1996 Italian Open, Krajicek reached the final, before losing in four sets to the reigning champion,Thomas Muster. At theFrench Open later that year, Krajicek was the only player to take a set off the eventual champion,Yevgeny Kafelnikov, during their quarterfinal match.
Coming into 1996 Wimbledon, Krajicek had never previously progressed beyond the fourth round at the tournament and had lost in the first round in the two previous years. He was seen as a player with potential, having one of the fastest serves at the time, but was not considered to be a strong contender for the title. The clear favourite wasPete Sampras, who had won the title for the past three consecutive years. Despite being ranked within the world's top 16, Krajicek just missed out on the seedings for the tournament, but when seventh seed (and world No. 2)Thomas Muster pulled out shortly before the tournament due to an injury, Krajicek was declared the 17th seed and moved to Muster's place in the draw. Opinions differ, therefore, on whether he won the tournament as an unseeded player.
Krajicek beat former championMichael Stich in the fourth round and met Sampras in the quarterfinals. By that time, Krajicek had managed to turn his notably weak slice backhand into an aggressive top-spin shot. Krajicek defeated Sampras in straight sets, becoming the only player to beat Sampras in a Wimbledon singles match in the eight-year period from 1993 until Sampras's fourth-round loss toRoger Federer in 2001. (Krajicek's Wimbledon victory over Sampras proved to be no fluke, since he ended his career with a 6–4 record against the American player.[8]) Next, Krajicek beat Australia'sJason Stoltenberg in the semi-finals, and went on to face AmericanMaliVai Washington in the final. He won the final in straight sets to become the first Dutchman to win Wimbledon.
In 1997, Krajicek's defence of his Wimbledon title ended in the fourth round, whenTim Henman defeated him in four sets.
In 1998, Krajicek was in the Wimbledon semi-finals again, losing toGoran Ivanišević in a marathon match, 13–15 in the fifth set, with both players serving a combined 38 aces.[9][10] His final attempt at a Wimbledon title was in 2002, when he lost in the quarterfinals toXavier Malisse. Krajicek beat world No. 5Andre Agassi, world No. 1 Sampras and world No. 9Yevgeny Kafelnikov on his way to theStuttgart Masters title in November.
At the1999 US Open, Krajicek lost a quarterfinal matchup toYevgeny Kafelnikov. Despite the loss, he set severalmost aces records that day. In the 2000 U.S. Open, Krajicek met Sampras in the quarterfinals, winning the first set and going up 6–2 during the second-set tiebreaker, but then losing six straight points and the match.[11] In 2000, Krajicek was awarded theATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award for his efforts to help youth in his home country.[12] He was namedATP Comeback Player of the Year in 2002.[13]
Krajicek retired from the professional tour in 2003. During his career, he won 17 singles titles and three doubles titles. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 4 in 1999.
Since retiring from the ATP Tour, Krajicek runs The Richard Krajicek Foundation, which builds sports facilities for children in inner-city areas in the Netherlands.[14] In 2004, Krajicek became the tournament director of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.
In 2005, he published a book on tennis,Fast Balls (Dutch:Harde Ballen).
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1996 | Wimbledon | Grass | 6–3, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1996 | Rome | Clay | 2–6, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 1997 | Stuttgart | Carpet (i) | 6–7(6–8), 2–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 1998 | Canada (Toronto) | Hard | 6–7(3–7), 4–6 | |
| Win | 1998 | Stuttgart | Carpet (i) | 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Win | 1999 | Key Biscayne | Hard | 4–6, 6–1, 6–2, 7–5 | |
| Loss | 1999 | Stuttgart | Carpet (i) | 1–6, 4–6, 7–5, 5–7 |
|
|
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Category | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Apr 1991 | Hong Kong, UK | World Series | Hard | 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Apr 1992 | Tokyo, Japan | Championships Series | Hard | 4–6, 4–6, 6–7(3–7) | |
| Win | 2–1 | Aug 1992 | Los Angeles, U.S. | World Series | Hard | 6–4, 2–6, 6–4 | |
| Win | 3–1 | Nov 1992 | Antwerp, Belgium | World Series | Carpet (i) | 6–2, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 3–2 | Feb 1993 | Stuttgart, Germany | Championships Series | Carpet (i) | 6–4, 5–7, 6–7(4–7), 6–3, 5–7 | |
| Win | 4–2 | Aug 1993 | Los Angeles, U.S. | World Series | Hard | 0–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–5) | |
| Win | 5–2 | Apr 1994 | Barcelona, Spain | Championships Series | Clay | 6–4, 7–6(8–6), 6–2 | |
| Win | 6–2 | Jun 1994 | Rosmalen, Netherlands | World Series | Grass | 6–3, 6–4 | |
| Win | 7–2 | Oct 1994 | Sydney, Australia | Championships Series | Hard (i) | 7–6(7–5), 7–6(9–7), 2–6, 6–3 | |
| Win | 8–2 | Feb 1995 | Stuttgart, Germany | Championships Series | Carpet (i) | 7–6(7–4), 6–3, 6–7(6–8), 1–6, 6–3 | |
| Win | 9–2 | Mar 1995 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | World Series | Carpet (i) | 7–6(7–5), 6–4 | |
| Loss | 9–3 | Aug 1995 | New Haven, U.S. | Championships Series | Hard | 6–3, 6–7(2–7), 3–6 | |
| Loss | 9–4 | May 1996 | Rome, Italy | Super 9 | Clay | 2–6, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 | |
| Win | 10–4 | Jul 1996 | Wimbledon, UK | Grand Slam | Grass | 6–3, 6–4, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 10–5 | Aug 1996 | Los Angeles, U.S. | World Series | Hard | 4–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 11–5 | Mar 1997 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | World Series | Carpet (i) | 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5) | |
| Win | 12–5 | Apr 1997 | Tokyo, Japan | Championships Series | Hard | 6–2, 3–6, 6–1 | |
| Win | 13–5 | Jun 1997 | Rosmalen, Netherlands | World Series | Grass | 6–4, 7–6(9–7) | |
| Loss | 13–6 | Oct 1997 | Stuttgart, Germany | Super 9 | Carpet (i) | 6–7(6–8), 2–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | 14–6 | Feb 1998 | St. Petersburg, Russia | World Series | Carpet (i) | 6–4, 7–6(7–5) | |
| Loss | 14–7 | Aug 1998 | Toronto, Canada | Super 9 | Hard | 6–7(3–7), 4–6 | |
| Win | 15–7 | Nov 1998 | Stuttgart, Germany | Super 9 | Hard (i) | 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Win | 16–7 | Mar 1999 | London, UK | Championships Series | Carpet (i) | 7–6(8–6), 6–7(5–7), 7–5 | |
| Win | 17–7 | Mar 1999 | Miami, U.S. | Super 9 | Hard | 4–6, 6–1, 6–2, 7–5 | |
| Loss | 17–8 | Nov 1999 | Stuttgart, Germany | Super 9 | Hard (i) | 1–6, 4–6, 7–5, 5–7 | |
| Loss | 17–9 | Jun 2000 | Halle, Germany | International Series | Grass | 3–6, 2–6 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | Career SR | Career win–loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | 4R | SF | 2R | A | 2R | 3R | A | A | 3R | 2R | A | A | 2R | 0 / 8 | 16–7 |
| French Open | A | A | 2R | 3R | SF | 3R | 2R | QF | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | A | A | A | 0 / 10 | 22–10 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 3R | 3R | 4R | 1R | 1R | W | 4R | SF | 3R | 2R | A | QF | A | 1 / 11 | 29–10 |
| U.S. Open | A | A | 1R | 4R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 1R | QF | 3R | QF | QF | A | 1R | A | 0 / 11 | 22–11 |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 1 / 40 | N/A |
| Annual win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 6–4 | 12–3 | 12–4 | 3–3 | 4–4 | 13–3 | 8–3 | 9–3 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | N/A | 89–38 |
| Year-end championships | |||||||||||||||||
| Tennis Masters Cup | Did not qualify | RR | DNQ | SF | Did not qualify | 0 / 2 | 3–4 | ||||||||||
| Grand Slam Cup | NH | DNQ | QF | DNQ | 1R | DNQ | QF | Not Held | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | |||||||
| ATP Masters Series | |||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A | 1R | 0 / 3 | 4–3 |
| Miami | A | A | 1R | QF | QF | A | 2R | 4R | 4R | A | W | A | A | A | 1R | 1 / 8 | 16–7 |
| Monte Carlo | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 2R | QF | 3R | QF | SF | A | 3R | A | A | A | 0 / 8 | 15–8 |
| Rome | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | A | F | 2R | QF | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | 0 / 9 | 12–9 |
| Hamburg | A | A | A | QF | QF | QF | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 2R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 8 | 13–8 |
| Montreal/Toronto | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | QF | F | 2R | 3R | A | 1R | A | 0 / 6 | 9–6 |
| Cincinnati | A | A | A | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 3R | QF | 1R | A | 3R | A | 0 / 10 | 9–10 |
| Madrid (Stuttgart) | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | QF | 3R | F | W | F | 2R | A | A | A | 1 / 7 | 17–6 |
| Paris | A | A | 1R | 3R | 2R | 3R | QF | 2R | QF | 2R | 2R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 9 | 6–9 |
| Masters Series SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 7 | 0 / 6 | 0 / 6 | 0 / 7 | 0 / 7 | 0 / 8 | 1 / 7 | 1 / 8 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 2 / 68 | N/A |
| Annual win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 11–7 | 7–6 | 7–6 | 10–7 | 13–7 | 14–8 | 17–6 | 15–7 | 5–5 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | N/A | 101–66 |
| Year-end ranking | 392 | 129 | 45 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 36 | – | 112 | 147 | N/A | |
| Season | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | Total |
| Wins | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | KR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | |||||||
| 1. | 2 | New Haven, United States | Hard | 3R | 4–6, 6–3, 6–3 | 37 | |
| 1992 | |||||||
| 2. | 5 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | 1R | 5–7, 6–3, 6–3 | 44 | |
| 3. | 5 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Hard | QF | 5–7, 7–6(7–2), 6–7(1–7), 6–4, 6–4 | 45 | |
| 4. | 7 | Indian Wells, United States | Hard | 2R | 6–0, 6–3 | 27 | |
| 5. | 5 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard | QF | 7–6(7–5), 6–4 | 30 | |
| 6. | 1 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard | SF | 6–3, 7–5 | 30 | |
| 7. | 8 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | 3R | 7–5, 6–2 | 16 | |
| 8. | 9 | Sydney, Australia | Hard (i) | QF | 7–6(7–1), 7–5 | 15 | |
| 9. | 7 | Antwerp, Belgium | Carpet (i) | QF | 3–6, 6–1, 7–6(9–7) | 13 | |
| 10. | 1 | Antwerp, Belgium | Carpet (i) | SF | 4–6, 6–4, 7–5 | 13 | |
| 11. | 5 | ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, Germany | Carpet (i) | RR | 2–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–4) | 10 | |
| 1993 | |||||||
| 12. | 10 | Stuttgart, Germany | Carpet (i) | 1R | 6–2, 6–3 | 13 | |
| 13. | 8 | Miami, United States | Hard | 4R | 6–2, 7–5 | 11 | |
| 14. | 1 | Los Angeles, United States | Hard | SF | 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(7–3) | 10 | |
| 15. | 9 | Los Angeles, United States | Hard | F | 0–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–5) | 10 | |
| 1994 | |||||||
| 16. | 4 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | QF | 7–5, 6–3 | 24 | |
| 17. | 10 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | 3R | 6–4, 6–4 | 20 | |
| 18. | 1 | Davis Cup, Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard | RR | 2–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–5), 7–5 | 26 | |
| 19. | 7 | Sydney, Australia | Hard (i) | F | 7–6(7–5), 7–6(9–7), 2–6, 6–3 | 32 | |
| 1995 | |||||||
| 20. | 10 | Stuttgart, Germany | Carpet (i) | 2R | 6–3, 7–6(7–0) | 16 | |
| 21. | 9 | Stuttgart, Germany | Carpet (i) | F | 7–6(7–4), 6–3, 6–7(6–8), 1–6, 6–3 | 16 | |
| 22. | 4 | New Haven, United States | Hard | QF | 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 7–6(7–5) | 14 | |
| 23. | 6 | New Haven, United States | Hard | SF | 6–4, 6–4 | 14 | |
| 24. | 4 | Essen, Germany | Carpet (i) | 3R | 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–3 | 15 | |
| 1996 | |||||||
| 25. | 1 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grass | QF | 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 | 13 | |
| 26. | 2 | ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt | Carpet (i) | RR | 6–4, 6–4 | 8 | |
| 27. | 5 | ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt | Carpet (i) | RR | 7–6(7–4), 6–7(5–7), 6–3 | 8 | |
| 1997 | |||||||
| 28. | 8 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet (i) | SF | 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4 | 7 | |
| 29. | 2 | Rosmalen, Netherlands | Grass | SF | 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4 | 6 | |
| 30. | 1 | Stuttgart, Germany | Carpet (i) | 3R | 6–4, 6–4 | 15 | |
| 31. | 3 | Paris, France | Carpet (i) | 3R | 7–5, 6–2 | 11 | |
| 1998 | |||||||
| 32. | 6 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet (i) | QF | 3–6, 7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–3) | 10 | |
| 33. | 3 | Monte-Carlo, Monaco | Clay | QF | 4–6, 7–6(7–1), 6–1 | 13 | |
| 34. | 6 | Rome, Italy | Clay | 3R | 6–2, 3–6, 7–6(8–6) | 11 | |
| 35. | 8 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | QF | 6–4, 6–4 | 9 | |
| 36. | 10 | New Haven, United States | Hard | QF | 5–7, 6–2, 7–6(18–16) | 6 | |
| 37. | 5 | Stuttgart, Germany | Hard (i) | 3R | 6–3, 6–4 | 11 | |
| 38. | 1 | Stuttgart, Germany | Hard (i) | SF | 6–7(2–7), 6–4, 7–6(7–5) | 11 | |
| 39. | 8 | Stuttgart, Germany | Hard (i) | F | 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 | 11 | |
| 1999 | |||||||
| 40. | 10 | London, United Kingdom | Carpet (i) | F | 7–6(8–6), 6–7(5–7), 7–5 | 9 | |
| 41. | 2 | Miami, United States | Hard | QF | 6–2, 7–6(8–6) | 7 | |
| 42. | 6 | Stuttgart, Germany | Hard (i) | SF | 6–4, 6–4 | 8 | |
| 2000 | |||||||
| 43. | 9 | Monte-Carlo, Monaco | Clay | 2R | 7–5, 6–1 | 43 | |
| 44. | 3 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | 1R | 7–5, 7–6(9–7) | 24 | |
List of books written by Richard Krajicek:[19]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Dutch Sportsman of the year 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year 2000 | Succeeded by |