500 Wins & Counting For Jean-Julien Rojer

Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour

Jean-Julien Rojer turns 42 years old in just more than a week, but you would not know it based on his performance. A week ago, the Dutchman claimed his 500th tour-level doubles win in Toronto and partnered Marcelo Arevalo to the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 title.

“I feel pretty good. I feel old, I'm older, turning 42 in a week. But it feels good. I try to keep fit and I'm quite disciplined with my training and my sleep, my diet, and to still be competing for these big events,” Rojer told ATPTour.com. “It makes me feel good and that's a part that I enjoy of tennis anyway, the competition, and trying to win the biggest events that we have on Tour. So it feels nice that you can still achieve some of those goals.”

Rojer is No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings, just four spots off his career-high. It is impressive longevity for a player who earned his first tour-level victory in Davis Cup in 2001. He made the tough decision to leave his native Curacao as a junior to pursue a tennis career in Miami and has been a presence in the tennis world ever since.

“It's been an incredible journey. From where I come from, first of all, having to leave my house when I was 12 years old to pursue tennis. Those early years, of course there were very difficult moments,” Rojer said. “Then also going to university [at UCLA] and then deciding to turn pro. But then it didn't go so good in the singles… You're sitting there with the ups and downs that a lot of the players around here, they know all about it. And then eventually I decided to play doubles, which kind of took off right away.

“Singles was very difficult for me. But I felt very comfortable on the doubles court and then getting to play all the biggest tournaments that you always grew up watching on TV and meeting some of the players that you watched on TV and stuff, that whole process has been pretty cool.”

Having reached a career-high No. 218 in singles in 2005, Rojer eventually made the decision to focus on doubles. On Tuesday in Cincinnati he claimed his 503rd tour-level win.

“And counting,” Rojer quipped, cracking a smile.

Which win stands out to the Dutchman the most?

“I thought one win that was pretty cool came in the semi-finals against the Bryan Brothers in 2015 in The O2 in the [Nitto ATP] Finals. Whoever won that match was going to finish the year No. 1, so quite high stakes in that match,” Rojer said. “And so that was a pretty cool win because it's also the Bryan Brothers and they're like the gold standard of everything doubles-wise.”

Rojer and Tecau went on to claim ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honours that year. It is no secret Rojer is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. But he is certainly not crawling to the finish. The Dutchman last year partnered Arevalo to the Roland Garros trophy, becoming the oldest major men’s doubles champion in the Open Era at 40.

^{Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images}
Between partnering Horia Tecau to the 2019 Basel crown and Arevalo to the 2022 Dallas trophy, Rojer did not win a title. But the Dutchman and his Salvadoran partner Arevalo have earned seven trophies over the past two seasons. They also qualified for the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

“My goals are not so long term anymore as you can imagine. My goals go week to week and it's to the point where I try to do my best for every single match and prepare as best as I can for every single match,” Rojer said. “I have a wife and a son and another one on the way so these things take a serious toll on you and that's what I consider real life.

“This tennis thing is beautiful and it's our job and I love it. It's what I chose to do and I absolutely love it, but I have other priorities, which makes it very difficult.”

Although they have not been with him since the start of the North American hard-court swing, Rojer’s family travels with him most weeks. Another tough thing for the Dutchman has been watching his longtime friends and rivals retire.

Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah are the latest to join that growing group, as they announced their upcoming retirement on Wednesday. The player with whom Rojer earned his first win at an ATP Tour event, Guillermo Coria, played his final ATP Tour match more than 15 years ago. Coria is actually younger than Rojer.

“Probably the part that I miss the most is not being around the players that decided to stop playing,” Rojer said. “But it's been an unbelievable journey. I couldn't ask for anything else. It's a lot of sacrifice and hard work and stuff. But it's been really cool.”