Davis Cup | Time for the next generation to step up, says Wesley Koolhof

Wesley Koolhof emphasizes the need for the next generation in tennis while reflecting on his impactful career and retirement.

Tennis is no more the preserve of just the young. The likes of Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka in singles, and Rohan Bopanna and Rajeev Ram in doubles, have battled Father Time quite successfully.

Former doubles World No. 1 Wesley Koolhof, though, did not even bother getting into that fight. A content man, he retired at the end of the 2024 season aged 35. He was still World No. 8, and in 2023, he had won Wimbledon, his only men’s doubles Slam title.

Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski are Grand Slam Gentlemen's Doubles champions for the first time 👏The No.1 seeds have beaten Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-4, 6-4#Wimbledonpic.twitter.com/dojkmMD8yY

“I am very happy with my decision,” Koolhof told The Hindu, on the sidelines of Netherlands’ Davis Cup fixture versus India, where he is the visitors’ assistant coach. “It’s time for the next generation to step up and I am here to bring my knowledge.”

Interestingly, Koolhof’s last appearance was in the Davis Cup Finals tie where the legendary Rafael Nadal bowed out of competitive tennis.

Koolhof and Botic van de Zandschulp won the decisive doubles rubber in two tie-break sets over Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers to end Spain’s campaign in the quarterfinal.