Back to when… Krajicek had his breakthrough in front of his own audience

Ahead of the upcoming edition, we look back at some winners from the distant and not so distant past. We start with Richard Krajicek, who won the home grass tournament in 1994 and 1997.

‘My title in 1994 was very special for me because it was my first good result at home. That tournament victory in ‘s-Hertogenbosch meant a mental breakthrough for me. That’s why eight months later I was also able to win the ABN AMRO tournament,’ Krajicek said in Libéma Open Stories #6 four years ago.

The then 22-year-old Krajicek made his return to the tour in 1994 only two months before the grass tournament in Brabant. A knee injury kept him sidelined for five months. He used that tennis-less time to reflect on his previous performances in front of his own audience.

‘After that, I started seeing the cheers from the audience as support instead of pressure to want to show something. Especially in the final.’

Krajicek won the final match in 1994 from Karsten Braasch. The left-handed German was seeded fifth and reached the final via qualifier David Adams. The South African was responsible for Jacco Eltingh’s elimination in the quarterfinals.

Krajicek’s route to the final took him past Jörn Renzenbrink, Nicolas Pereira, Alex Antonitsch and Henri Leconte. With a 6-3 6-4 win over Braasch, Krajicek captured his first domestic title.

This was followed in 1995 by the ABN AMRO tournament and in 1997, as reigning Wimbledon champion, he was the best again at the Autotron ‘s-Hertogenbosch and in Rotterdam Ahoy.

In total, Krajicek won 17 titles and reached the fourth spot in the world rankings.

Watch the 1994 final here on YouTube and enjoy the service volley game and Herman Kuiphof’s commentary.