Player Features

How De Jong's journey to Top 100 is a tribute to his late grandfather

Jesper de Jong and his grandfather Jan always dreamed of a future in which the Dutchman would become a professional tennis player. Together, they openly discussed two big goals: for De Jong to compete at Grand Slam tournaments and become part of the Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

The 24-year-old has now achieved both of those dreams, breaking through the Top 100 barrier on Monday at a career-high No. 98. As De Jong continues his pro journey, his grandfather’s presence lingers in every step. Jan passed away in 2022.

“He was so supportive and he was so into tennis,” De Jong told ATPTour.com. “He was a football coach and he was always very fanatic in sports. Basically everybody in Holland got text messages from him if they did well, like ‘Congratulations!’ He was following everyone. It was so funny.

“He was a well-known grandfather because he just came to every tournament. He was well known and loved by everyone. It was very sad that he passed away and everyone is missing him a lot.”

Jan was by De Jong’s side from the very beginning. The Dutchman recently shared a heartwarming Instagram post from the first tennis match of his life. De Jong’s racquet was nearly the same size as him, but nevertheless, Jan was in the background, proudly supporting.

“He was my biggest fan. It’s a very cool picture,” De Jong said. “Like I said in the post as well, ‘Thanks to everyone who was there from my first hit to being in the Top 100’. Those people are a very big part of the puzzle of my career.”

One of De Jong's dreams came true at the 2024 Australian Open, where he advanced through qualifying to reach his first major main draw. De Jong won his first-round match and then fell to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.

“I think that was the first very cool moment in my career,” said the Dutchman.

De Jong also played in the Roland Garros main draw last year — again as a qualifier — and made the second round before running into Carlos Alcaraz, who went on to claim the title.

A three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, De Jong has a tattoo on his left arm in memory of Jan, whose ashes are mixed into the ink.

“In 2022, I reached the third round of qualifying at the US Open and I was up a break in the third [set]. That was the last chance for him to be there. I knew he wasn’t going to make it much longer,” De Jong recalled. “Two months later, he passed away.

“Then I got the tattoo and then, when I made an actual Grand Slam, that took another year. So, 2024 Australian Open, I added a star and the star was connecting the line. It was like the last part of the puzzle.”

Enjoying his breakthrough season 🙌

Get to know 24-year-old Jesper De Jong 🇳🇱 ⬇️ #OnTheRise pic.twitter.com/guifR6KeXr

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 15, 2024

De Jong’s lifelong goals have become a reality and he is now enjoying a career-best start to a season. In January, De Jong reached his first tour-level semi-final in Montpellier, putting him within striking distance of securing a Top 100 spot.

After reaching the final at the Murcia Challenger in March, De Jong was admittedly keeping a close eye on the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

“More than I should, actually,” De Jong said with a laugh when asked about how often he was checking the Live Rankings. “In my opinion, it’s quite human when you have such a big goal and you’re so close to it.

“I was 100 in the Live Rankings, but then the ranking didn’t come out on Monday. There was one more week and basically everyone behind me was playing. I was not confident enough that it was enough. Then basically everyone below me lost and I made the semi-finals [in Girona].

“In July, I was three points away actually. My highest ranking was 103. That was very close. The period between being able to go to the Top 100 for the first time and now reaching it has been eight, nine months, which is pretty long. It felt like a couple years. Very relieved that it happened now.”

Today, it is De Jong’s name you see in the Top 100, but this achievement is not just his own. It is a testament of the belief his grandfather gave him since day one.