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After briefly considering retirement due to a foot injury, Bottic van der Zandschup decided to turn things around before the end of the year, but after defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open, it’s safe to say he won’t be hanging up his boots anytime soon.
The world No. 74 reached the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time since mid-2022 as he defeated third seed Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday.
It was the biggest win of the 28-year-old’s career against an opponent who had won consecutive majors and a 15-match winning streak in majors.
“Maybe I’m still digesting it,” van der Zandschulp said shortly after defeating the 2022 champion.
“Maybe in a few hours or tomorrow I’ll feel even more upset about what happened tonight.”
Last year, van der Zandschulp broke his left foot, tore ligaments in his ankle and developed an infection in his right foot. In May, after a first-round loss at the French Open, he began to question his future in the sport.
“I was thinking about it when I said it. It’s just the way things are going,” said van der Zandschulp, who was ranked 115th in April.
“I was injured last year. It still bothers me a little bit. For me, if I have to play through the pain, then I’ll probably stop playing.
“Of course, I’ll see how everything goes before the end of the year. Yes, of course, I have serious thoughts on it.”
The Dutchman, who has been steadily improving his game in the Challenger tournament, will face Britain’s Jack Draper in the third round, and he expects a tough match as he looks to break his record from the quarter-finals in New York three years ago.
“Draper is a very good player who has played very well this year. Strong serve, strong groundstrokes. So it’s going to be a very tough match again,” van der Zandschulp said.
“I’m looking forward to the rest of the tournament. I think the remaining players are all very good players. So, yeah, every match is going to be tough.”
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