Thiemo De Bakker: Putting Dutch Netherlands Back on the Map

Thiemo De Bakker (http://thiemodebackker.com/) is a name recognized within the Grassroots of Professional Tennis. Since splashing onto the scene in 2006, he’s had a measured ascent up the (http://atpworldtour.com/) rankings.

This week, de Backker is ranked #83 in the World, and he has been as high as #40 in the World, during the third week of July, 2010. For his career W/L average, you are looking at around 0.49% conversion rate. That’s not bad considering he is only 22 years of age.

In his first year of 2006, de Backker won the Championships at Junior Wimbledon and was ranked the #1 junior in the World at the end of the year. In addition to Junior Wimbledon, de Backker won titles in Costa Rica, Australia, Italy and Great Britain.

In 2006, he defeated J. Benneteau at Amersfoort, a tournament in his home Country of the Netherlands. He also won two Futures events in Portugal.

In 2008, he picked his game up and was in a Challenger Final. (A step above Futures events) That same year he won two Futures events at home in the Netherlands.

It was official, when in 2009, he entered the top 100 in the world. In addition, he had a W/L record of 35/13 in Challengers, winning four titles.

He gathered an 18 match winning streak that same year, and played his inaugural Davis Cup match for the Netherlands, defeating number #13 Gael Monfils along the way.

Last year, the leading member of the Dutch contingent of players, he first made it into the top 50. He had wins over Tsonga and Ferrero and made it to the third round of Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. He also reached the Semi’s in New Haven.

The 1996 Wimbledon Champion Richard Krajicek mentors the impressionable young Dutchman, who could be one of the best Tennis products from the Country in years.

Krajicek, all time Dutch Champion says, “Thiemo is by far the biggest talent we have ever had in Dutch tennis.” De Backker stands at 6’4” and has a good serve, much like Krajicek, I am sure.

It goes with out saying that de Backker kept Dutch hopes alive after the retirement of Jan Siemerink, Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh – all former Dutch Champions.

De Backker says about a vacation in 2009 that he thought about his career and that he may have coasted on his talent alone. He says, “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.”

He also mentioned this. “At the end of the year I started winning the important matches,” “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.”

De Backker today works out with the Adidas Player Development Program in Las Vegas with trainer Gil Reyes and Coach Darren Cahill. His part-time Coach is Rohan Goetzke from the Netherlands.