"It looks like a fairytale from the outside but it's a lot of hard work" - Van Rijthoven on sudden rise

The Dutchman Tim van Rijthoven's dream Grand Slam debut continued in style on Friday at Wimbledon, where he took out 22nd seed Nikoloz Basilashvili with an impressive 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 third-round victory.

Currently No. 104 in the ATP Rankings, van Rijthoven is just the seventh player since 2000 to reach the fourth round on his first main draw appearance at a major. Van Rijthoven had not won a tour-level match prior to the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch three weeks ago, but the 25-year-old stormed to the title at the ATP 250 event.

Speaking after his latest win at Wimbledon, Tim said:

“From the outside, it obviously looks like a fairytale because it came out of nowhere for a lot of people. Also, the ATP title for me came out of nowhere because I didn't even win an [ATP Challenger Tour] title before. I played some finals. The level there is just also very high. But it's basically a sum-up of a lot of hard work, a lot of belief, and eventually very positive vibes just going into matches and going into practices. That is basically what's happening right now, it's because of that.”