The most important thing is
to keep focus

What drives successful people? What distinguishes them? What enables them to excel and make a difference? In search of answers to these questions, Erik van Gend talks to people who know how to get the full potential out of themselves. A unique and fascinating series of interviews in which Erik addresses a different topic or theme each time. This time he talks to former professional tennis player Richard Krajicek and current director of the ABN AMRO tennis tournament.

“If you invest in yourself, there will always be more in return, in any form.”

In making this series of interviews, I had a number of people on my wish list. Richard Krajicek was prominent on this list. I got to know Richard several years ago. Holland’s greatest tennis player has an impressive track record, but what struck me most was the man behind the tennis player. A man with enormous perseverance who, when he goes for something, does not seem to be satisfied with anything less than 100%. But also, a man of great integrity who at first makes somewhat expectant contact, but once in conversation can be disarmingly open. So too in our conversation. I meet Richard for lunch in picturesque Muiderberg.

In his book “The 19 Best Tennis Players of All Time,” he writes that as a four-year-old rookie, he sat in front of the TV and watched Björn Borg win Wimbledon. From then on, he dreamed of one day winning that coveted trophy himself. Eventually, twenty years later, he found himself in the final himself.

What was going through your mind on the eve of the finals?

I felt tremendous pressure…. To my feeling at that moment I was far from my dream. I realized that this was the biggest chance to win the title. It was my first Wimbledon final. At the same time, I was also somewhat afraid of losing. In every way I was the favorite; my opponent was not seeded; I was higher in ranking and played better on a grass surface.

I imagine that this imposed “favorites role” brought enormous pressure?

I knew that not getting the title would haunt me for a long time. But the very worst thing would be if I hadn’t gone for it. Of course I was extra tense for this final, but I have taught myself that I don’t allow the real tension until about three quarters to a half hour before a game. Until then, I sat in the players’ lounge, chatting with my coach and my wife Daphne (Daphne Deckers, editors). In the hours leading up to the game, I mostly tried not to think about the game. You make sure your materials are in order and for the rest I tried to stay in the now and put the pressure of the match into perspective.

As a child, you dreamed of Wimbledon. Did you have the ambition to become a professional tennis player back then?

My father was very fanatical about playing tennis. When I was ten years old, I was Dutch champion in the youth under 12. At a young age I was one of the better players in the Netherlands. Until about 14 or 15 years of age. My parents were in a divorce. I had to change my way of playing, from more defensive to offensive. But I always wanted to become a professional tennis player.

When did you decide, “I’m going to be a professional tennis player”?

Around age 16, I dropped out of school. That year I was going to move from 4-VWO to 5-VWO. If I don’t make this choice now I will regret it a lot later, I thought at the time. I gave myself four years. If within those four years I would not be able to become a successful professional tennis player I would have gone back to school.

You once told me that when you were 19 you were faced with a crucial choice? You then bought a ticket to Melbourne to play the Australian Open?

Yes, I bought a ticket then with the last money in my bank account, 1st class by the way. The year before, I had flown tourist class and arrived completely broke. This time I really wanted to arrive well rested. To be able to lie down and sleep. For that reason I bought a 1st class ticket with my last money. In the end, I then made it to the semifinals of the Australian Open. I then earned enough money again to live and invest in my future.

In a way, was this a turning point in your tennis career?

I learned then from Ted Troost that you should always invest in yourself. If you invest in yourself, there will always be more in return, in whatever form. I didn’t need a new car, but invested in a good coach, spacious airplane seats, good hotels and good food. Something I hadn’t always done before. I remember my first pro tournament in Israel where I had lost four pounds because I barely had any money and tried to save on my food.

In his book, he writes that tennis is a lonely profession, where you are thrown back on yourself a lot. “You are alone on the court; there is no one to hide behind.”

How did you deal with this?

It was especially lonely when I was rehabbing. I remember in 1992 I had to rehab for a period of five months, three of which were at Papendal. It was winter then and I was there five days a week. Especially in the evenings, I was mostly alone. I found that a tough period, but also realized that you have to put yourself through that and that I would come out of it stronger.

What character traits do you think we have been able to see during your tennis career?

Nowhere is your character more exposed than on center court. I generally have not been an overly team player, nor did I necessarily want to be one. I also really needed to be alone at times. My coach (Rohan Goetzke, editors) sometimes called me “the hermit,” the recluse, but I also think that I’m someone who likes and is good at working with a goal. And that if I want something I will give everything for it.

How far did your sacrifice go to achieve your goal?

That did go a long way. My vacations, for example, were mainly periods when I tried to improve and strengthen myself to prevent injuries. Really taking time off was not an option for me; if I did nothing for a period of time, my joints would suffer enormously. For example, I went on vacation to Austria twice a year. I had bad knees and had learned that cross-country skiing would be good for my knees. During my vacations I was cross-country skiing in the morning and in the afternoon I was cycling, running or doing strength training. Those were my vacations; when I met Daphne we ended up vacationing once to Australia and once to Indonesia, but overall my vacations were training weeks.

How did you relax during that time? Were you able to distance yourself from tennis?

Difficult, I remember starting the Australian Open in early 1996, the year I won Wimbledon, trained to the max. In the second round, my back hurt. This gave me a huge blow mentally. I felt I was doing everything in my power to be optimally fit. That injury set me back a few months and I went through a difficult period. Somehow I also think that period brought a form of relaxation. In that period after that, I made the final in Rome, the quarterfinals in Paris, for example, and won Wimbledon a few weeks later and then I was in the final in Los Angeles.

You have ever been told that your body is not really made for elite sports?

I have a big and strong body, which was an advantage in many ways. I could serve hard, could use my height well at the net, was relatively fast for my height, but the downside was that my body was more susceptible to injury. A side effect is that I didn’t eat vegetables until I was 16. I ate potatoes, rice, meat and fish, but probably did not get the necessary nutrients because of this.

For most of my career I was able to cope well with my injuries. However, in 2003, after yet another injury, this time to my elbow, I noticed that I could no longer find the motivation in myself to fight. At that point, I also realized it was over. If you can’t fight anymore, it stops. Finally, my professional tennis career ended in preparation for my favorite tournament Wimbledon. At the tennis tournament in Rosmalen, I announced my final farewell.

“If you can’t fight anymore, it stops.”

Has that huge drive for perfection also cramped you at times?

I think I suffered above average from what they call competitive tension. However, I have found a way to deal with it. After all, I have played 26 finals, 17 of which I won, which in itself is an excellent track record. But the competitive tension, the fear of losing and the will to win has always made it tough for me. Indirectly, this also had its effect around my body. I sometimes watched Pete Sampras or Michael Stich who played tennis much more relaxed on the face of it. I was sometimes on the court for three hours with enormous tension, but the adrenaline kept me going. Indirectly, of course, it is a heavy strain on my body.

You told me you have a fear of flying. How did you deal with that?

Flying I found heavy at times. I sometimes had moments when I was just on the plane and thought before we took off; I want to get off. At the same time, I also realized that if I gave in to that that would also mean the end of my tennis career.

In his pants, he writes that the 19 top tennis players have two things in common. “The will to win and the love of the game.” I also read the toll it takes on companies in top sports. Björn Borg’s alleged suicide attempt and several divorces. John McEnroe’s drug use, including cocaine and anabolic steroid. Andre Agassi’s drug use including Crystal Meth….

How do you view the toll it took on these elite athletes?

Well, apparently these tennis players needed an outlet. What I personally found remarkable is that so-called dullards had their affairs in order and that the tennis players who were described as characters, well more or less lived as characters anyway. In the end, most of the tennis players turned out well.

Do you feel you have made the most of your tennis career?

Yes and no, I noticed at 25 that I had a mature attitude about my pro career. I wish I had had this attitude even at 18. Maybe it was the baggage from my childhood and I had to go through a process to get there. I don’t know, in hindsight I could have made a bigger gain by having had this focus and attitude at 18. But all in all, I can look back on my tennis career with satisfaction. In doing so, I also owed a lot to my tennis coach Rohan Goetzke. He not only guided me in tennis, but also made me a better person. From my background, I could have become a completely different person.

“I am happy and grateful for who I am now.”

Retired and still have a whole life ahead of you….

Tennis players, but especially the press like to refer to it as the black hole. I also call it the retirement syndrome. In my view, there is no such thing as a black hole, and if it exists at all, it is not unique to athletes. Ask any person whose partner has retired; either they are never to be enjoyed again or they are not to be enjoyed for the first six months because they simply don’t know what to do.

As a tennis player, you encounter this point somewhere between the ages of 30 and 35. You are in the middle of life, peers are busy making careers. I think the most important thing is to stay focused. You can’t always be busy with what comes next. Coincidentally, this afternoon I read a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh in Oprah magazine “People sacrifice the present for the future, but life is only available in the present.” I found that quote so typical. Why should you be concerned with your future now?