Frenchmen Find Success At ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Frenchmen Find Success At ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Learn more about the Libema Open, an ATP 250 event
The Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, which began at the inception of the ATP Tour in 1990, is one of only two Dutch events on the ATP Tour calendar.
The 2020 edition of the event would have been held this week, if not for the Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the tournament.
1) The Grass-Court Season Begins
Held the week after Roland Garros, alongside the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, the Libema Open provides ATP Tour stars with a first opportunity to gain grass-court match experience during the ATP Tour season.
Several champions in ‘s-Hertogenbosch have gone on to achieve success at Wimbledon in the same year. In 2000, when the event was held in the week before The Championships, Patrick Rafter advanced to the championship match at SW19. Former champions David Ferrer and Gilles Muller also built on their title runs at the ATP 250 event, reaching the quarter-finals at the All England Club in 2012 and 2017, respectively.
2) Formidable Frenchmen
In recent years, French stars have enjoyed consistent success in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The nation has accounted for five of the seven most recent champions at the tournament, with Nicolas Mahut (2013, ’15-’16), Richard Gasquet (2018) and Adrian Mannarino (2019) lifting the trophy. Since 2013, only Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain and Luxembourg’s Muller have broken the French hold on the tournament.
3) A Dream Destination
Surrounded by trees and a tournament lake, the ATP 250 tournament provides a tranquil break from the usual fast-paced lifestyle required on the ATP Tour.
“The atmosphere here, I have to say, is almost like home,” said Marin Cilic. “I am just enjoying my time here and enjoying the nature.”
Tournament director Marcel Hunze also shared his memories of Michael Chang, who visited in 1989 after winning his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.
“The first time he came here, he liked it so much that he started fishing the whole day,” said Hunze.
4) Mannarino’s Moment
After losses in his opening six tour-level championship matches, Mannarino finally captured his maiden ATP Tour crown in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last year.
The Frenchman joined countrymen Gasquet and Mahut as recent French champions at the grass-court event, recording three consecutive comeback victories against seeded opposition. After a comfortable first-round win, Mannarino beat Fernando Verdasco, David Goffin and Borna Coric to reach the championship match. The left-hander saved six of seven break points to overcome Jordan Thompson in the final.
”People are going to stop talking [about my finals record]… This is a big achievement for me. I am not pretending to be Top 10 or anything. Winning a title on the ATP Tour level is already something amazing for me and I cannot be more thankful to all the people who helped me get to this title,” said Mannarino.
5) A Glimpse Into The Future
Since 1990, six future Wimbledon champions have appeared at the Autotron Rosmalen in the years before their success at SW19. Michael Stich, Richard Krajicek, Goran Ivanisevic, Lleyton Hewitt, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic all made appearances in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, as they attempted to sharpen their grass-court skills. In the year of their title runs at the All England Club, Stich, Krajicek, Ivanisevic and Hewitt each used the event as their final preparation ground for The Championships.
