Botic van de Zandschulp has no ATP singles titles. He also has wins over Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. That combination is unusual enough on its own, and it is close to the whole story of his career: a player who has rarely been favoured and has repeatedly beaten men who were.
The 2021 US Open run
Van de Zandschulp arrived at Flushing Meadows in 2021 ranked outside the top 100 and had to come through qualifying to make the main draw. He reached the quarterfinals. According to the ATP, that made him the third men’s qualifier to reach the US Open quarterfinals in the Open era, and the first Dutchman in a Grand Slam quarterfinal since 2004.
The fourth round against Diego Schwartzman was the match he has since named as the turning point of his career. He led by two sets, was pulled back to a decider, and won it anyway. In the quarterfinal he lost to Daniil Medvedev in four sets — and took the only set Medvedev dropped on his way to the title.
Career arc and ranking
Born in Wageningen on 4 October 1995, van de Zandschulp turned professional in 2016 and spent his early years almost entirely on the Challenger and ITF circuits. He did not become a regular tour-level player until 2021, when he was 25.
2022 was his best season. He reached a career-high world No. 22 on 29 August, finished the year as the top-ranked Dutchman for a second straight season, and reached the Munich final. He has contested three ATP Tour singles finals and lost all three. He has won two doubles titles, including Antwerp in 2022 alongside Tallon Griekspoor, and reached a doubles high of No. 60 in May 2023.
Playing style. Right-handed with a two-handed backhand, 1.91m, he is a flat, first-strike baseliner rather than a grinder or a serve-bot. His record against elite opponents suggests a player who does his damage by taking time away early in the point rather than by outlasting anyone, which is also why his results swing: the same approach that produces the wins over Alcaraz and Nadal produces early losses to players ranked well below him.
The 2024 scalps
In August 2024 he beat Alcaraz, then the world No. 3, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the US Open. The first set took 31 minutes. The ATP lists it as the biggest win of his career. He had been openly weighing retirement at the time, having gone through a poor run of form.
Three months later he beat Rafael Nadal in the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. It was the last singles match of Nadal’s career, and it helped the Netherlands reach their first Davis Cup final.
Grand Slam record
- Australian Open: third round (2022, 2026)
- Roland Garros: third round (2022)
- Wimbledon: fourth round (2022)
- US Open: quarterfinals (2021)
Season snapshot — 9 September 2026
Ranked No. 70 in the world as of 31 August 2026. Career singles record 132-130, career singles titles 0. Coached by Raemon Sluiter since September 2025.
At the 2026 US Open he has reached the quarterfinals for the second time in his career, five years after the first, beating Alex de Minaur along the way. He faces Alexander Zverev, the top seed and reigning Roland Garros champion, in Wednesday’s quarterfinal. A win would put a man with no tour-level titles into a Grand Slam semifinal.
This snapshot is dated and will change. The career record above does not.
