Tim van Rijthoven retires at 28: From dream run to heartbreaking farewell

A premature end to the career of Dutch tennis player Tim Van Rijthoven, who announced his retirement this Tuesday after years of persistent injuries. The 28-year-old made a sudden breakthrough on the ATP Tour when he claimed three top-10 wins en route to his first title at the 2022 Libéma Open.

Van Rijthoven officially announced his retirement after battling physical setbacks that repeatedly halted his career. It’s a unique case — in 2022 he stunned the tennis world with a dream run, yet he never broke into the top 100 due to constant injury interruptions.

In June 2022, he made a huge splash by defeating Taylor Fritz (No. 14), Félix Auger-Aliassime (No. 9), and Daniil Medvedev (No. 2) to win the ATP 250 in 's-Hertogenbosch. At the time, Van Rijthoven was ranked No. 205 and had only ITF titles and a couple of Challenger finals to his name.

Granted a wildcard at 's-Hertogenbosch, Van Rijthoven played just his second career ATP-level tournament at age 25 — and had no prior main draw experience on grass, except for the Surbiton Challenger qualifying a week earlier.

But tennis gave him a rare shot, and the then-unknown Dutchman grabbed it. In the final, he demolished Medvedev 6-4, 6-1, lifting the trophy in just his second ATP main draw appearance.

At Wimbledon, he continued to impress — reaching the Round of 16, with wins over Reilly Opelka (15th seed) and Nikoloz Basilashvili (22nd seed), before falling in four sets to Novak Djokovic in a competitive match.

However, injuries derailed his momentum. He began fading from the spotlight, struggling for form and consistency while dealing with long injury layoffs, including a nine-month back injury. He spent recent years playing mostly Challenger events and ATP qualifying rounds.

His final appearances came in the 2024 Australian Open and Roland Garros qualifiers, losing in straight sets in the first round of both. “With a heavy heart, I have to share something today that I have been trying to process for a long time: My professional tennis career is forced to come to an end. Due to a stubborn elbow injury that, despite all the rehabilitation and medical trips, fails to recover, I am forced to bid farewell to the sport I have lived my whole life.”

“I would have liked to see it differently. I would have liked to bid farewell in my own way, with a racket in hand and the audience in the stands, but sometimes the body decides differently than the mind.”

“Still, I look back with incredible pride and gratitude. From a small kid in his mother’s arms dreaming big, to this. I want to thank everyone who supported me: my family, team, coaches, physios, sponsors, and fans,” he added. “I don’t know exactly what’s next, but I know my heart will always belong to tennis. See you soon – maybe on court, maybe not. Who knows.”