French Open star 'thinking about quitting tennis' at 28 after brutal first-round loss
Botic van de Zandschulp raised retirement questions after crashing out of the French Open.
Botic van de Zandschulp has revealed he is “thinking about” quitting tennis aged 28 after suffering a one-sided loss at the French Open.
The Dutchman crashed out to Fabio Fognini 6-1 6-1 7-5 in the first round.
In the heat of defeat, he admitted that retirement could be something to consider.
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Van De Zandschulp has been struggling for form this season. The 28-year-old fell out of the top 100 last month, just eight months after he reached a career-high ranking of No. 22.
He had already started to question himself after “too many bad days” and came into the French Open with a losing 9-13 record for 2024. And his defeat to Fognini sparked a strong reaction, as Van De Zandschulp brought up the idea of quitting tennis.
“This was the worst match of my life,” the devastated Dutchman told NOS on Monday evening. “Whether I'm thinking about quitting? Who knows, who knows. I certainly doubt that. That's something I'm thinking about.”
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The current world No. 102 has not been beyond the last 16 at any tournament since reaching the Munich final last April. There, he blew four championship points to lose to Holger Rune.
And Van De Zandschulp admitted he had been struggling for the last 12 months as he added: “A lot has happened in the last year, also off the court. These are things that play a role.
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“I think you should have fun in everything you do. Of course everyone has bad days, but if there are too many, you have to question yourself. These are thoughts that I have had before, years ago. That is something that has always been with me. It is a struggle.”
Van De Zandschulp is currently entered in the men’s doubles competition at the French Open with compatriot Robin Haase. It remains to be seen whether he plays after his retirement comments.
