“It is a dream come true” – Koolhof and Mektic win maiden ATP Finals
Fifth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic won a tight match to secure the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals doubles trophy on Sunday.
Koolhof and Mektic defeated the Austrian/French duo of Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2 4-6 10-5 in London to earn a first title of 2020, after losing in the final of both Marseille and the US Open earlier this year.
“It’s [an] unbelievable feeling,” Mektic said after the match. “It’s not just the way to finish this year. This is something to remember throughout the whole life.
“This is for sure my biggest achievement of my life and of my career, so this is something that I will remember forever. It’s a great way to finish the year and [there are] a lot of reasons to celebrate now.”
Despite the ATP Finals title and a year-end world ranking of number three, the Croatian/Dutch pairing will split up for the coming 2021 season. Mektic will play with fellow Croatian and current world number one Mate Pavic, while Koolhof will team up with Pole Lukasz Kubot.
Mektic is the first Croatian player to win the doubles event at the ATP Finals, and Koolhof becomes only the fourth Dutch player to lift the trophy. “[It is] a dream come true to have qualified here for this event,” said Koolhof.
“[We] managed to play some very good tennis, made it through the group stage. Won yesterday, played a very good match yesterday. Played here the final today, which is always a dream, to play every final. But to play the final of the [Nitto ATP] Finals is very big and [we are] extremely happy to have won.”
- Join the tennishead CLUB and receive £250/$350 of FREE GEAR including ASICS Gel-Resolution 8 trainers, shorts, shirt & socks
- Keep up to date with the breaking news & tennis action at our tennis news section
- Win amazing prizes by entering our competitions
- Learn more about your favourite players including Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic
- Check out the latest tennis equipment with our tennis gear reviews
- Receive regular updates in our legendary free newsletter
- Read in depth features with stunning photography in tennishead magazine
- Can’t visit the tournaments you love? Check out our guide on how to watch tennis on TV
- Don’t miss a thing with our Live Scores service
- Follow tennishead on social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube
- EXCLUSIVE 5% DISCOUNT for all tennishead readers on tennis rackets, balls, clothing, shoes & accessories with All Things Tennis, our dedicated tennis gear partner