Dutch Tennis Player Jesper de Jong (26) Receives Welcome News Ahead of Wimbledon

Tomas Machac delivered the final push. The Czech, ranked 42nd in the world, withdrew from Wimbledon on Wednesday evening. "Bad news: the tear in my left foot has not recovered sufficiently, forcing me to withdraw from Wimbledon. It's a disappointing moment, but I'm doing everything I can to return for the American tournaments this summer," he wrote on Instagram.

As De Jong (26) had steadily moved up the alternate list in recent weeks, he was the first alternate before Machac's withdrawal. Upon hearing the news of the Czech's pull-out, which secured De Jong a spot in the main draw, the Dutch top tennis player immediately revamped his schedule. "I was actually supposed to travel to London on Friday, but now we'll only go on Wednesday," De Jong told NU.nl. The past few weeks have been excellent for him. He won a Challenger tournament in Italy after reaching the fourth round at Roland Garros, where he lost to eventual winner Alexander Zverev.

After his clay-court victory in Cattolica, De Jong moved on to Parma last week for a final clay Challenger, but he lost in the first round there. This allowed him to return home to Alkmaar, where he lives with his speed skating girlfriend Pien Hersman. There, he can calmly prepare for Wimbledon, which begins with the first round on June 29. De Jong will head there without having played a single match on grass this season.

De Jong made his debut at the iconic Grand Slam last year, where all tennis players compete in all white. In a marathon match, he won his first-round encounter against American Christopher Eubanks. He then fell in the second round to Miomir Kecmanovic. He joins Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp as the third Dutchman in the Wimbledon main draw. Among the women, no compatriot is yet guaranteed a spot. Suzan Lamens and Anouk Koevermans will attempt to qualify, with qualifiers starting next week.