Melle van Gemerden

Melle van Gemerden

Country (sports)	Netherlands
Residence	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Born	(1979-05-09) 9 May 1979 (age 45) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Turned pro	2000 [1]
Retired	2014
Plays	Right-handed
Prize money	$214,727
Singles
Career record	4–9
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 100 (12 June 2006)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	1R (2005)
French Open	1R (2006)
Wimbledon	2R (2006)
US Open	Q1 (2008)
Doubles
Career record	0–4
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 178 (4 April 2005)
Last updated on: 5 June 2021.

Melle van Gemerden was born on May 9, 1979, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He began playing tennis at an early age and showed promise in national tournaments. By 1997, he had become the Dutch Junior Champion in both the indoor and outdoor categories, marking the start of his professional aspirations.^[2]His early success earned him a place in Jong Oranje, a development program for top junior athletes in the Netherlands.

Career

In 1998, van Gemerden transitioned to professional tennis. He made his ATP Tour debut in 2002 and reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 100 in June 2006. He reached the quarterfinals of the 2005 ATP Amersfoort and also won the ATP Challenger tournament in Scheveningen in 2006. He reached the second round at Wimbledon in 2006, where a back issue^[3], which had become unplayable after his first-round win, significantly impacted his performance and led to two back surgeries, ultimately ending his career. He represented the Netherlands in the Davis Cup from 2004 to 2006, competing in the World Group quarterfinals. ^[4]

Suspension and Comeback

In late 2004, van Gemerden faced a setback when he tested positive for cannabis during the Mauritius Challenger. Though it was determined that the substance was not taken to enhance performance, van Gemerden had to forfeit ranking points and prize money, and served a short suspension.^[5] He returned to the circuit in 2005, making a comeback with a Challenger title and participating in all Grand Slam events.

Coaching Career

After retiring from competitive tennis, van Gemerden transitioned into coaching. Starting as an sparringpartner, he worked with a number of top players, including Ana Ivanović^[6], Fernando Verdasco, and Sorana Cîrstea. From 2013 to 2015, he coached Dutch tennis player Thiemo de Bakker^[7] and continued to work with up-and-coming Dutch talent through the Dutch tennis federation (KNLTB) from 2019 to 2020.^[8]

Van Gemerden has since established himself as a sought-after coach, focusing on both technique and mental preparation for his players.

Art Career

Alongside his tennis career, Melle van Gemerden developed a passion for art. Drawing inspiration from artists like David Hockney and the De Stijl movement, van Gemerden began creating digital artwork that often incorporates tennis themes. His artwork reflects a blend of sport and abstract expressionism, with bright, vibrant colors and dynamic compositions. His "Fractured" series, for example, uses tennis courts as metaphors for the obstacles and challenges of life.

His art has been exhibited in several galleries and sold to private collectors.^[9]

Personal Life

Melle van Gemerden currently resides in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He continues to work as both a coach and an artist. His personal interests and experiences, particularly his love for both tennis and art, have deeply influenced his post-tennis career.

Notable Matches and Trivia

Fun fact: During a Futures tournament in Hungary in 2004, Melle van Gemerden defeated a 16-year-old Novak Djokovic early in Djokovic's career. The match ended with van Gemerden winning 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, on clay, a notable victory before Djokovic went on to become widely regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time.^[10]

Notable Achievements

- Dutch Junior Tennis Champion (Indoor & Outdoor), 1997 - Career-high ATP singles ranking: World No. 100 (June 2006)^[11] - Quarterfinalist at the 2005 ATP Amersfoort, Dutch Open^[12] - ATP Challenger Tournament Winner in Scheveningen, 2006^[13] - Competed in all four Grand Slam tournaments (2005–2006)^[14] - Davis Cup Team Member (2004–2006)^[15]

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1–0	Jun 2000	Germany F6, Villingen	Futures	Clay	Nikolay Davydenko	6–1, 7–6(7–5)
Win	2–0	Jun 2000	Germany F7, Trier	Futures	Clay	Nikolay Davydenko	4–6, 6–4, 6–3
Loss	2–1	May 2004	Germany F5, Esslingen	Futures	Clay	Tobias Summerer	5–7, 6–7(5–7)
Loss	2–2	May 2004	Hungary F2, Hódmezővásárhely	Futures	Clay	Kornél Bardóczky	5–7, 3–6
Win	3–2	Jul 2004	Netherlands F2, Heerhugowaard	Futures	Clay	Fred Hemmes Jr.	6–3, 6-3
Loss	3–3	Sep 2004	Tehran, Iran	Challenger	Clay	Mariano Puerta	3–6, 4–6
Win	4–3	Jul 2005	Scheveningen, Netherlands	Challenger	Clay	Kristof Vliegen	6–4, 6-3
Loss	4–4	Aug 2005	Manerbio, Italy	Challenger	Clay	Oliver Marach	3–6, 2–6
Loss	4–5	Jun 2008	Netherlands F2, Alkmaar	Futures	Clay	Thiemo de Bakker	6–4, 1–6, 2–6

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1	Oct 1998	France F10, Saint-Dizier	Futures	Hard	Gordon Bergraaf	Pavel Kudrnáč Radim Žitko	4–6, 4–6
Win	1–1	May 1999	Germany F4, Villingen	Futures	Clay	Martijn Belgraver	Patrick Sommer Rene Nicklisch	7–5, 6–2
Loss	1–2	May 2000	Germany F2, Esslingen	Futures	Clay	Johan Settergren	Ali Hamadeh Jicham Zaatini	4–6, 1–6
Loss	1–3	Jun 2000	Germany F6, Villingen	Futures	Clay	Johan Settergren	Kris Goossens Ionuț Moldovan	6–7(6–8), 3–6
Loss	1–4	Oct 2000	France F23, La Roche-sur-Yon	Futures	Hard	Johan Settergren	Martin Hromec Wim Neefs	3–6, 6–1, 6–7(8–10)
Win	2–4	Jun 2001	Germany F4, Villingen	Futures	Clay	Johan Settergren	Frank Moser Bernard Parun	6–4, 6–4
Loss	2–5	Mar 2002	New Zealand F1, Blenheim	Futures	Hard	Fredrik Lovén	Ashley Ford David Mcnamara	1–6, 7–5, 4–6
Loss	2–6	Sep 2002	Netherlands F2, Alphen aan den Rijn	Futures	Clay	Melvyn op der Heijde	O. Hernandez-Perez Gustavo Marcaccio	2–6, 3–6
Win	3–6	Oct 2003	Greece F3, Athens	Futures	Clay	Christian Grunes	Theodoros Angelinos Konstantinos Economidis	4–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–1)
Loss	3–7	May 2004	Hungary F2, Hódmezővásárhely	Futures	Clay	Zsolt Tatár	Kornél Bardóczky Gabriel Moraru	5–7, 7–6(7–3), 3–6
Win	4–7	Jul 2004	Hilversum, Netherlands	Challenger	Clay	Fred Hemmes Jr.	Attila Sávolt Gabriel Trifu	7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–3)
Win	5–7	Aug 2004	Samarkand, Uzbekistan	Challenger	Clay	Jean-François Bachelot	Sebastian Fitz Florin Mergea	6–2, 3–6, 6–1
Loss	5–8	Aug 2004	Bukhara, Uzbekistan	Challenger	Hard	Paul Logtens	Michal Mertiňák Pavel Šnobel	4–6, 2–6
Loss	5–9	Oct 2004	Bolton, United Kingdom	Challenger	Hard	Peter Wessels	Jeff Coetzee Jim Thomas	5–7, 3–6
Win	6–9	Aug 2005	Manerbio, Italy	Challenger	Clay	Peter Wessels	Oliver Marach Daniel Köllerer	6–3, 6–4
Loss	6–10	Jun 2008	Alessandria, Italy	Challenger	Clay	Matwé Middelkoop	Flavio Cipolla Simone Vagnozzi	6–3, 1–6, [4–10]
Loss	6–11	Jul 2008	Scheveningen, Netherlands	Challenger	Clay	Matwé Middelkoop	Rameez Junaid Philipp Marx	7–5, 2–6, [6–10]

• Melle van Gemerden at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Melle van Gemerden at the International Tennis Federation