LONDON: The walk from Wimbledon's Court No. 12, at the far end of SW19, is a long one. The flower-decked pathway is almost always lined by spectators. Tim van Rijthoven made his way across slowly, taking in the scenery, stopping for autograph hunters, fans reaching out for a photograph or a selfie. He's living the fairytale.
The Dutchman, ranked outside the top-200 three weeks ago, had never won a Tour-level match or a Challenger title until his first serve kicked into the collective cognizance of the tennis world at his home tournament - an ATP 250 Series in s'Hertoge nbosch. The 25-year-old blasted his way to the title with wins over Taylor Fritz, Felix AugerAliassime and Daniil Medvedev.
