Botic van de Zandschulp reveals key to stunning Djokovic, Nadal, and Alcaraz
Botic van de Zandschulp may be ranked outside the top 80 – but is he now the greatest giant-killer on the ATP Tour?
The world No 85 stunned Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells on Saturday, beating the five-time tournament champion – and 24-time Grand Slam champion – 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the third round.
Van de Zandschulp entered the main draw as a lucky loser, having lost in the final round of qualifying, though wins over Nick Kyrgios and now Djokovic have seen him more than make the most of his second chance.
However, this is not the first time the 29-year-old has hit the headlines following an eye-catching win in recent months.
The Ductman, 74th in the world at the time, stunned third seed and title favourite Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open last year, easing his way to a 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 victory over the four-time major champion.
That was followed just two months later by a historic win over Rafael Nadal, ending the 22-time Grand Slam winner’s career with a 6-4, 6-4 win over the Spaniard in Davis Cup action.
Van de Zandschulp had won just four games in his previous meeting against Djokovic at the Astana Open in 2022, with Saturday’s shock victory representing a significant swing in fortunes for both men.
And, speaking after his win, the Dutch star admitted he was not entirely sure how he had managed to beat Alcaraz, Nadal, and now Djokovic.
“You may have to ask those guys,” said van de Zandschulp.
“I think beforehand, if I play those guys, I know I have to be there the whole match to be mentally stable, be calm.
“And I think I played pretty well in the rallies. I can defend. I can also attack. Go to the net. So, yeah, I think I have a pretty [wide] variety in my game, so maybe that’s what is bothering them.
“I think conditions were pretty tough today. I think the bounces were pretty high. I think he [Djokovic] was struggling a little bit with the bounces, not timing the ball that well.
“I think he was a lot of times with the forehand a little bit too high. The ball bounces pretty high if I play the second serve, for example. Way different conditions than when I played him two years ago in Astana.
“Also, the sun wasn’t easy. At some point, we had some shade and sun in the stadium. I think overall, maybe I handled the conditions a little bit better today.”
Before his US Open win over Alcaraz, van de Zandschulp had not won a match against a top-10 opponent since beating world No 10 Taylor Fritz at the Munich Open in April 2023.
He was inside the top 30 when he defeated Fritz, but a slump in the following 16 months saw him fall outside the top 70 – a trend he has not yet reversed on a tournament by tournament basis.
Novak Djokovic News
Novak Djokovic makes wanted – and unwanted – history in shock Indian Wells defeat
Novak Djokovic crashes to shock Indian Wells defeat – what went wrong?
Despite his dip in form, van de Zandschulp always believed that he could shock Alcaraz in New York – and his belief has only increased since that emphatic victory.
He added: “Even before that, I played some pretty good matches against top-10 players. Definitely against Carlos, I was believing I could beat the guys like Carlos.
“I also got my ass kicked twice last year by [Jannik] Sinner. I didn’t play him after. But also against Novak, it’s helping that you beat Carlos last year at the US Open.
“So I think it’s all about self-belief before you go on court and really think you have a chance to win during the day.
“But, yeah, it has to go all my way.”
On paper, perhaps the most significant of van de Zandschulp’s wins was his victory over Nadal in the Netherlands’ Davis Cup quarter-final victory over Spain.
Playing in Malaga, he not only silenced Nadal’s home crowd but ended the tennis icon’s career and sealed a crucial point in what was a shock win for the Dutch – who went on to make the final.
Van de Zandschulp concedes that it was “mentally quite tough” to defeat Nadal, though he still credits beating Alcaraz in New York as the “toughest” win of his career.
“I think they’re all different. I think like playing Rafa last match was mentally quite a tough match, to play it in Spain as well. So, yeah, that’s never easy.
“But, I think Carlos was maybe the toughest one. Because beforehand, you didn’t really know you had the possibilities to beat guys who are running the game these days.
“I think that was a good first step.”
Van de Zandschulp will hope to continue his Indian Wells campaign when he faces 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo in round three on Monday.
Read Next: The 5 men with the highest Indian Wells win percentage: Carlos Alcaraz 88.9%
