Richard Krajicek facts for kids
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Krajicek at the Eastbourne International tennis tournament in 2011.
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| Country (sports) |  Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Residence | Muiderberg, Netherlands |
| Born | 6 December 1971 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 (65.24%) |
| 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 (born December 6, 1971) is a famous Dutch former professional tennis player. He is best known for winning the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1996. He is still the only Dutch male player to have won a major singles title in tennis. During that amazing tournament, he was the only player to beat the legendary Pete Sampras at Wimbledon between 1993 and 2000. Richard Krajicek reached his highest singles ranking of world No. 4 in March 1999. After retiring from playing, he became the tournament director of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam in 2004. He has also written several sports books.
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About Richard Krajicek
Richard Krajicek's parents were from the Czech Republic. In 1999, he married Daphne Deckers, who is a model, writer, and TV host. They live in Muiderberg, Netherlands, and have two children, a son and a daughter. In his home country, people sometimes call him "de Kraai," which means "the crow" in Dutch. His half-sister, Michaëlla Krajicek, is also a professional tennis player. Another tennis player, Austin Krajicek from America, is a distant cousin of Richard.
Richard Krajicek is also involved in politics. He is a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which is a political party in the Netherlands.
Richard Krajicek's Tennis Career
Richard Krajicek started playing tennis when he was just four years old. As a young player, he won the Dutch National Championships twice for both the under-12 and under-14 age groups. He became a professional tennis player in 1989. In 1991, he won his first big singles title in Hong Kong. He also won his first doubles title that year at the Dutch Open.
In 1992, Richard, who is 1.95 meters (about 6 feet 5 inches) tall, reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the Australian Open. He had to stop playing in that match because of a shoulder injury. The next year, he made it to the semi-finals at the French Open, but he lost to the champion, Jim Courier.
At the Italian Open in 1996, Krajicek reached the final, but he lost to Thomas Muster. Later that year, at the French Open, Krajicek was the only player to win a set against Yevgeny Kafelnikov in their quarterfinal match. Kafelnikov went on to win the tournament.
Winning Wimbledon in 1996
Before the 1996 Wimbledon tournament, Richard Krajicek had never gone past the fourth round there. He was known for having one of the fastest serves, but many people didn't think he would win the title. The big favorite was Pete Sampras, who had won Wimbledon for the past three years.
Krajicek was ranked among the top 16 players in the world, but he just missed out on being a seeded player for the tournament. However, the seventh seed, Thomas Muster, had to pull out because of an injury. This meant Krajicek became the 17th seed and took Muster's spot in the draw.
In the fourth round, he beat former champion Michael Stich. Then, in the quarterfinals, he faced Pete Sampras. Krajicek played incredibly well and defeated Sampras in straight sets. This was a huge upset, as Sampras had not lost a singles match at Wimbledon between 1993 and 2001. After that, Krajicek beat Jason Stoltenberg in the semi-finals. In the final match, he played against MaliVai Washington from America. Richard Krajicek won the final in straight sets, becoming the first Dutch player to win the Wimbledon title!
Later Career and Retirement
In 1997, Krajicek's attempt to defend his Wimbledon title ended in the fourth round, where he lost to Tim Henman. In 1998, he reached the Wimbledon semi-finals again, but he lost a very long match to Goran Ivanišević. His last try for a Wimbledon title was in 2002, when he lost in the quarterfinals.
In November 1998, Krajicek won the Stuttgart Masters title. On his way to winning, he defeated top players like world No. 5 Andre Agassi, world No. 1 Pete Sampras, and world No. 9 Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
At the 1999 US Open, Krajicek lost in the quarterfinals to Yevgeny Kafelnikov. In 2000, he received the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award for his work helping young people in the Netherlands. He was also named ATP Comeback Player of the Year in 2002.
Richard Krajicek retired from professional tennis in 2003. During his career, he won 17 singles titles and three doubles titles. His highest singles ranking was world No. 4 in 1999. He had a very good record against Pete Sampras, winning 6 out of their 10 matches.
After retiring, Krajicek started The Richard Krajicek Foundation. This foundation builds sports facilities for children in city areas in the Netherlands. In 2004, he became the tournament director for the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. In 2005, he wrote a tennis book called Fast Balls.
Grand Slam Finals
Richard Krajicek played in one Grand Slam singles final and won it!
Singles: 1 (1 title)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1996 | Wimbledon | Grass |  MaliVai Washington |
6–3, 6–4, 6–3 |
Masters Series Finals
Richard Krajicek reached six Masters Series finals, winning two of them.
Singles: 6 (2 titles, 4 runners-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1996 | Rome | Clay |  Thomas Muster |
2–6, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1997 | Stuttgart | Carpet (i) |  Petr Korda |
6–7(6–8), 2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1998 | Canada (Toronto) | Hard |  Patrick Rafter |
6–7(3–7), 4–6 |
| Win | 1998 | Stuttgart | Carpet (i) |  Yevgeny Kafelnikov |
6–4, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 1999 | Key Biscayne | Hard |  Sébastien Grosjean |
4–6, 6–1, 6–2, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1999 | Stuttgart | Carpet (i) |  Thomas Enqvist |
1–6, 4–6, 7–5, 5–7 |
Career Finals Summary
Richard Krajicek played in 26 singles finals during his career, winning 17 titles and finishing as runner-up 9 times.
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Honors and Awards
- Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (1997)
- Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau (November 17, 2017)
- Medal of Honour for Ingenuity and Entrepreneurship of the Order of the House of Orange (June 17, 2024)
Images for kids
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Krajicek at the Eastbourne International tennis tournament in 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Richard Krajicek para niños
