Botic van de Zandschulp has beaten one big name after another on the tennis tour in the last six months. The Dutchman almost never got the chance to, though. In a slump and weighed down by the grind of the circuit, he told reporters at the French Open last May that he was considering quitting tennis.

But taking a small break and getting some wins on the second-tier Challenger tour revived his spirits. Now, he is turning into a household name. His hat trick of huge upset wins went like this: beating Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the US Open, beating Rafael Nadal in the Davis Cup to end the Spaniard’s career and then taking out Novak Djokovic as a lucky loser at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday.

Djokovic, Nadal and Alcaraz, in case you lost track of the number, have won a combined 50 majors. What’s van de Zandschulp’s secret? “I don't know,” the 29-year-old began, before offering up an explanation. “I think beforehand, if I play those guys, I know I have to be there the whole match, to be mentally stable, be calm. “Yeah and I think I played pretty well in the rallies. I can defend. I can also attack. Go to the net. I think I have a pretty variety in my game, so maybe that's what is bothering them.”

Another question then comes to mind. Why does van de Zandschulp currently sit outside the top 80 in the rankings? He touched on it as he continued his chat with reporters. “I think for me it's mostly mentally,” he said. “If I'm there mentally in the matches, then I can play pretty well, even if I'm not finding my level during those games. “That's sometimes what is lacking in all the weeks during the season.

“I have to find the right balance of playing tournaments, playing matches, and also recover mentally and physically afterwards. For me, it's still finding the good balance.” Recovering mentally and physically figures to be key on Monday when van de Zandschulp meets 25th-seed Francisco Cerundolo, who rallied to overcome Californian Mackenzie Macdonald after a bye.

The Argentine with the massive forehand almost beat Djokovic at the French Open, leading two sets to one and 4-2 in the fourth. In the match after downing Alcaraz in New York, van de Zandschulp lost to Jack Draper, who would go on to make the semifiinals.

Going all the way in Indian Wells might be a stretch since there’s still a long path ahead but winning a tour title seems a distinct possiblity given van de Zandschulp’s game.

The former World No. 22 came close twice, losing in back-to-back finals on clay in Munich to Holger Rune. He retired in the first one, but the second one in 2023 was a heartbreaker for him. Van de Zandschulp led 5-2, 40-15 on his own serve in the third set against a Rune struggling with an arm injury. Overall, van de Zandschulp missed out on four match
points.

That’s in the past and van de Zandschulp is creating nicer memories in Tennis Paradise.