Jesper de Jong put on a terrific display against Carlos Alcaraz in their second-round battle at the French Open 2024. While de Jong wasn’t able to orchestrate an upset, he did surprise a majority of the tennis world by dominating the third set of the encounter. After giving the Spaniard a run for his money early in the tournament, Jesper even earned a lot of respect for his class act on social media.
Despite suffering a 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 2-6 loss, Jesper de Jong received a lot of praise for the fight that he put up against Carlos Alcaraz. However, fans’ respect for the Dutch only increased after de Jong congratulated and wished the World No.3 good luck for the remainder of the tournament on the latter’s Instagram post.
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The 23-year-old commented on Alcaraz’s post, “Congrats Carlos and good luck for the rest of RG ”
Apart from his comment gaining almost 1,000 likes, fans also appreciated the sportsmanship displayed by the 176th ranked men’s player.
Jesper de Jong was all class! pic.twitter.com/eX8fvOt0UB
— Wide World of Tennis (@tennisfan_dkr) May 30, 2024
Jesper de Jong announced his arrival on the ATP Tour during his main draw debut in 2022 at the Hertogenbosch tournament. However, the Haarlem native only gained attention during the Australian Open 2024 campaign. After winning four matches in a row (three qualifiers), Jesper faced off against eventual champion Jannik Sinner and suffered a 2-6, 2-6, 2-6 loss.
Even though he hasn’t had the most successful season, that particular matchup at the Margaret Court Arena made him relatively popular in the tennis community.
Jesper De Jong Has Become a Household Name in the Netherlands
Jesper de Jong might not be winning tournaments every week. However, he has been slowly climbing up the ranks and making a name for himself over the past few years. The third-highest-ranked Dutch (per Tennis Explorer) was always mistaken for football sensation Frankie de Jong’s brother.
Now, with an increase in his social media popularity to almost 20k followers, it is great to see the youngster receive the recognition that he deserves.
Jesper has had a forgettable season, playing in the main draw of merely three ATP tournaments – the Australian Open, the Rotterdam Open, and the French Open. However, known for having a positive attitude and a great approach, Jesper’s performance against Alcaraz should motivate him to finish the 2024 season with his career-best position in the rankings.
