Of the 18 teams at United Cup 2024, Team Netherlands qualified for the mixed-teams event in 10th place on the list.
They might not command attention in the same manner as host country Australia, or defending champion USA, or top seeded Poland, or Serbia, led by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
But their playing squad is shaping up as one of the most formidable.
TICKETS: Cheer on Team Netherlands in Sydney at United Cup 2024
Led by No.1 singles players Tallon Griekspoor and Arantxa Rus, and joined by doubles stars Wesley Koolhof and Demi Schuurs, Team Netherlands will be dangerous when it enters the court at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.
We’ll witness just how valuable experience and depth can be when the Dutch take on Team Norway, the first of the group-stage matches in Sydney on 30 December.
The squad – also featuring Thiemo de Bakker and Arianne Hartono – has an average age of 31. Another thing it possesses in spades is success at the highest level.
The late-blooming Griekspoor has shot up to the brink of the world’s top 20 in 2023 after reaching three ATP finals, winning two.
Just two years ago, he was competing predominantly on the ATP Challenger circuit, where his impressive success helped lay the foundation for his ascent to more prestigious events.
It is a similar path followed by Rus, who achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No.41 shortly before turning 33.
The Dutchwoman captured attention more than 12 years ago when she upset No.2 seed and reigning Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters in the second round at Roland Garros in 2011.
But she never truly kicked on from that; from 2012 to 2022, she ended eight of the next 11 seasons outside the world’s top 100.
This year, she was competing mostly on the secondary ITF circuit, where her success, like Griekspoor, allowed her to take a leap higher.
In Hamburg in July, she broke through for her first WTA singles title.
With Rus and Griekspoor trending up entering the new season in Sydney, it bodes well for Team Netherlands’ chances in singles when they face Norway and Croatia in Group F.
And should any contest come down to a deciding doubles match, the Dutch are well placed.
Koolhof, Team Netherlands’ playing captain, is a top-10 doubles star who peaked at world No.1 in November 2022. He is also the reigning Wimbledon doubles champion, alongside Brit Neal Skupski.
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Schuurs is currently ranked in the WTA doubles top 20, slightly down from her peak of world No.7. She is the winner of four WTA 1000 titles, two with former singles world No.1 Ash Barty.
It’s a credentialled core of players, and one which could have a significant impact in Sydney.
