Martin Verkerk
 |
|
| Country (sports) |
 Netherlands
|
|---|---|
| Residence | Alphen a/d Rijn, Netherlands |
| Born |
31 October 1978 Leiderdorp, Netherlands |
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Turned pro | 1996 |
| Retired | 9 December 2008 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,491,379 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 59–66 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 14 (15 September 2003) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2003, 2004) |
| French Open | F (2003) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2004) |
| US Open | 2R (2003) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 23–34 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 63 (3 November 2003) |
Martin Willem Verkerk (born 31 October 1978) is a retired professional Dutch tennis player. As a relatively unknown player, he reached the final of the French Open in 2003, which he lost to Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero. Along the way, he beat Željko Krajan, Luis Horna, Vince Spadea and Rainer Schüttler before beating experienced clay court players Carlos Moyá and Guillermo Coria.
His unexpected run at the French Open as an underdog and expressive on-court antics made him popular in the Netherlands. The final was watched by even more households in the Netherlands than when countrymate Richard Krajicek won Wimbledon in 1996. However, plagued by various injuries and mononucleosis, Verkerk did not reproduce similar results during the rest of the career, never advancing beyond the third round in subsequent Grand Slams. During his career, he won 2 titles and reached the quarter-finals of the 2003 Rome Masters. Verkerk played a close match against Roger Federer at the 2003 Paris Masters, losing in 3 tiebreak sets after holding multiple matchpoints, 7–6(3), 6–7(12), 6–7(6).
Marin Verkerk started his journey into the game of tennis at the young age of seven years old, playing in local tournaments and training with his father, Wim Verkerk, and mother, Bep Verkerk. He would play in a tennis facility named "Nieuwe Sloot" in his home city of Alphen a/d Rijn, Netherlands, where his talent was discovered by local coaches and soon had the opportunity to train with many better players. Many years of practice lead Martin to winning the "Indoor and Outdoor National Titles for players up to/ including 18 years of age". This big win was the beginning to his professional tennis carrier in the ATP.
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