In 1926, Mr. van Keeken, former head of the Economic Department of the local hospital Duin en Bosch, laid the foundation for TC Bakkum on a concrete foundation near the hospital. The TC Bakkum foundation, which he founded, was initially intended for employees of the hospital, who played tennis for fun. However, Van Keeken developed his ambition for tennis, especially when it came to juniors. Until the year 1953, in which he died, he was the great stimulator of tennis within the Kennemerland district as district head and head of juniors of the KNLTB. In this part of the Netherlands, he is seen as ‘the soul of tennis’.
Van Keeken tournament
In 1956, on behalf of the then mayor of Castricum, C.F. Smeets, the name of the tournament was changed to the W.E. van Keeken tournament. At the fall of 1964, the tournament was changed to a complete junior tournament. In the beginning, Henk and Frans Wegdam led the tournament with great enthusiasm. In 1975, Brenda van Keeken, granddaughter of our founder, took over the management of the tournament from the Wegdam brothers. As a league player and chairman of Popeye Goldstar in Amsterdam, Brenda van Keeken was very well connected and soon the tournament gained national and later international fame.
Host families
Over the years, the tournament developed into a household name in Castricum, and also in the surrounding area, partly due to the phenomenon of ‘host families’. All participating juniors were accommodated in host families. For the young top players, this felt like a week ‘at home’. For both players and host families, this is an unforgettable experience. The host families are heavily involved in the tournament and you often see them cheering on ‘their’ players. That creates a wonderful atmosphere!
The team
Since 2015, the name of the tournament has been changed to ‘Dutch Junior Open’. The staff consists of about 25 enthusiastic TC Bakkum members, all of whom are connected to the club in one way or another. They organize the most important and largest international junior tennis tournament in the Netherlands.
Status
Since 1998, the tournament has been relegated ITF category II. As of 2023, this is called a J-200 tournament. With this gradation, Dutch Junior Open is the highest-rated and only J-200 under-18 tournament held in the Netherlands. J-200 means that the tournament is among the top 25 youth tournaments in the world. Dutch Junior Open, together with the Wimbledon youth tournament and tournaments in Germany and Switzerland, forms a strong European youth circuit and attracts participants from the top 100 of the ITF youth rankings every year. Every year, around 200 participants from 35 different countries around the world register for our tournament. Of course, many Dutch players, including part of the KNLTB selection, also sign up.
Top players
In the past, several top players have made their appearance on the courts of TC Bakkum.
| Carlos Alcaraz (2018) | Vrouwen in de top 100: |
| Holger Rune (2018) | Anna Blinkova (2013) |
| Andrey Rublev (2012) | Katerina Siniakova (2011) |
| Felix Auger Aliassime (2015) | Kamilla Rakhima (2016) |
| Lorenzo Musetti (2017) | Nadia Podoroska (2013) |
| Alex de Minaur (2014) | Clara Tauson (2017) |
| Hubert Hurkacz (2013) | Diana Parry (2017) |
| Pablo Carreno Busta (2008) | |
| Alexander Zverev (2012) | |
| Denis Shapovalov (2014) | |
| Tallon Griekspoor (2013) | |
| Matteo Berrettini (2013) | |
| Botic van de Zandschulp (2012) | |
| Sebastian Baez (2016) | |
| Gael Monfils (2002) |
Tournament information 2024
The tournament is held every year at tennis club TC Bakkum. The crowd will be spoiled with tennis at a prestigious high level throughout the week. This year, the tournament will be held from Sunday, June 30 to Sunday, July 7, 2024. Admission to the tournament is free throughout the week and there is plenty of room for everyone in the stands.
