Richard Krajicek

Richard Krajicek is a Dutch former professional tennis player. In 1996 he won the men's singles title at Wimbledon, the only Dutch player to have done so. In the quarterfinals of that tournament, he defeated Pete Sampras in straight sets. This was Sampras' only singles defeat at Wimbledon between 1993 and 2000. Since 2004, Krajicek has been the tournament director of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. He is also the author of various sports books. Krajicek reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 in March 1999. He turned professional in 1989, and in 1991 won his first top-level singles title in Hong Kong and his first tour doubles title in Hilversum. In 1992, Krajicek reached his first Grand Slam semifinals at the Australian Open. He had to withdraw from this semifinal match due to a shoulder injury. The following year, he reached the semifinals at the French Open, where he lost in four sets to the defending champion Jim Courier. Krajicek retired from the professional tour in 2003. During his career, he won 17 singles titles and 3 doubles titles. His career-high singles ranking was world no. 4 in 1999. Krajicek's Wimbledon victory over Sampras proved to be no fluke, since he ended his career with a 6-4 record against the American player.