The Open Era
Netherlands · born Heerde, 1970 · Wimbledon doubles champion 1998 · career doubles Grand Slam
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1998
Wimbledon doubles champion with Paul Haarhuis
10-8
Fifth set of the 1998 final
6
Major doubles titles, all four majors
44
Tour doubles titles
1995
Wimbledon singles quarter-final
Born in Heerde in 1970, Eltingh began playing at seven, won the European under-18 title in 1988 and turned professional that year. He won four singles titles and reached No. 19 in February 1995, the year he made the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon. His doubles brought 44 titles and the No. 1 ranking in January 1995. With Paul Haarhuis he won the Australian and US Opens in 1994, the French in 1995 and 1998, Wimbledon in 1998 and the year-end championship in 1993 and 1998; he added the 1998 Australian Open with Jonas Björkman. The pair finished fourth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. A knee injury ended his singles career in 1997 and he retired in November 1998, aged 28. He later served on the ATP Board and became technical director of the Dutch federation.
| Wimbledon doubles | Champion 1998 and runner-up 1997, both with Paul Haarhuis |
|---|---|
| Finals to remember | 1997: lost to Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 3-6. 1998: beat the same pair 2-6, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 10-8 |
| Wimbledon mixed | Runner-up 1992 with Miriam Oremans, lost to Cyril Suk and Larisa Neiland 6-7, 2-6 |
| Wimbledon singles | Quarter-finalist 1995, beat Michael Stich, Mats Wilander and Wayne Ferreira, lost to Andre Agassi; fourth round 1991 |
| Other grass titles | Singles: Manchester 1992. Doubles: Halle 1995 and Rosmalen 1997, both with Haarhuis |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Men's doubles | with Paul Haarhuis |
| Northern Championships | ||
| 1992 | Men's singles Manchester Open | |
| Halle | ||
| 1995 | Men's doubles | with Paul Haarhuis |
| 's-Hertogenbosch (Rosmalen) | ||
| 1997 | Men's doubles Rosmalen Grass Court Championships | with Paul Haarhuis |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"I loved that calmness. It was a very conscious choice which I enjoyed immensely!"
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1995 · Centre Court
Drawn against Michael Stich, the 1991 champion and ninth seed, he won 6-4, 7-6, 6-1 on Centre Court and later called it his finest singles win: "That was really very nice!" He went on to beat Mats Wilander and Wayne Ferreira before Andre Agassi stopped him in the quarter-finals.
Source: Tennis Photo WorldMelbourne 1998
Paul Haarhuis missed the Australian Open because his wife was expecting a child, so Eltingh played with Jonas Björkman. They beat the Woodies in five sets in the final. Six months later Eltingh and Haarhuis beat the same pair at Wimbledon, 10-8 in the fifth.
Source: Tennis UptodateNew York 1998
Holding the Australian, French and Wimbledon titles, he could have tried for the calendar Grand Slam in doubles at the US Open. He stayed at home instead to be present for the birth of his first child, eight months after Haarhuis had missed Melbourne for the same kind of reason.
Source: Tennis UptodateHartford 1998
His last match was the final of the year-end doubles championship, which he and Haarhuis won, and he finished it with an ace. Asked later whether he fell into a black hole after leaving the tour at 28, he said: "No, absolutely not."
Source: Voodemar / Tennis Photo WorldRotterdam 2011
Twelve years on, he and Haarhuis, then 44, came back for one match at the Rotterdam event to support Richard Krajicek's foundation and its first playground outside the Netherlands, in Suriname. Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski beat them 6-3, 6-2 in 62 minutes.
Source: VoodemarThe Thames · Wimbledon fortnight
Now in charge of player development at the Dutch tennis and padel federation, he plays padel with his three sons. During one Wimbledon he and Jonas Björkman played a game on a court built on a large yacht cruising the Thames. "We played there, and it was a lot of fun."
Source: FIP PadelFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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