Jesper de Jong will try to earn the biggest win of his career on Wednesday afternoon when he faces third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the second round at Roland Garros.
The Dutchman is trying to reach the third round at a tour-level event, for the first time. What should you know about the 23-year-old?
ATPTour.com looks at five interesting things about the No. 176 player in the PIF ATP Rankings.
His breakthroughs have come at the majors
De Jong made his ATP Tour main draw debut on home soil in 2022 at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where he lost in straight sets to Jenson Brooksby. The Dutchman has made his tour-level breakthroughs at the majors.
The Haarlem native qualified for his maiden Slam main draw at this year’s Australian Open and took advantage of it by defeating Pedro Cachin in the first round. He lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the second round.
“Got my a** kicked today, but so grateful to compete on the biggest stage, against one of the best players out there,” he wrote on Instagram after the match.
In the next major, this Roland Garros, he qualified and defeated Jack Draper in five sets to reach the second round of the main draw. His two Slam victories are his only tour-level wins.
Photo: Getty Images
Jesper has a guilty pleasure in Paris
Could the secret to De Jong’s Paris success be macarons? The Dutchman said that the Ladurée macarons sold at Roland Garros are his guilty pleasure.
“They are so good,” De Jong said. “And I am so happy I can use my meal credit for it!”
A dream for after his career is to own an Italian restaurant. His favourite food is a good steak.
He was a ball kid in Rotterdam
De Jong was around world-class tennis players before he became one himself. The Dutchman was once a ball kid at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam, where he has since competed three times.
“Starting there as a ball kid to go and play the actual event is a milestone,” De Jong wrote on Instagram.
In 2020 and 2023, the home favourite lost in the first round of qualifying as a wild card. This year, he fell to former World No. 3 Milos Raonic in the first round of the main draw, also as a wild card.
Idol was Roger Federer
The Dutchman left little doubt when it comes to who his idol was: Roger Federer, who fittingly was also a ball kid as a junior (in Basel).
De Jong met Federer in 2017 at Wimbledon, where he played in qualifying for the boys’ singles event. Then a 16-year-old, he was able to take a picture with the Swiss star, who went on to claim the trophy.
Jesper’s standout quality is his attitude
De Jong says that his favourite shot is his drop shot. But earlier this year, before playing Sinner at the Australian Open, the Dutchman explained that his strength is not a particular stroke.
“I have not got the biggest muscles. I'm not the biggest, but I fight,” De Jong said. “You really have to beat me. I fight for every point and I'm getting more mature by the day. I'm really happy about that. I feel I'm ready to take the next step. I am ready to show the world what I can do. I hope the fans can get behind me and hope for the best for me.”
The 23-year-old began his tennis journey hitting against a wall at a fitness centre with squash courts where his mother, Maureen Op de Weegh, worked. Now De Jong is competing on the biggest stages in the sport.
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