Celebrating 25 years, Richard Krajicek’s Wimbledon Win Commemorated by The Royal Dutch Mint

July 7th, 2021 marked exactly 25 years to the day, Richard Krajicek’s victory at Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. He was the very first (and is still the only) Dutchman ever to win the grand slam tournament, quite an achievement! After his victory at Wimbledon, Krajicek founded the Krajicek Foundation to promote sports among youth in deprived urban areas. The Royal Dutch Mint has produced three coins to commemorate the impact of Richard Krajicek on the Dutch sports landscape.

In 1997 Krajicek gave a tennis clinic in a deprived neighborhood in the city of The Hague. Here he realized that many children are not able to exercise or play in a safe environment close to home. Hence he founded the Krajicek Foundation. The Foundation aims to motivate youth in deprived urban areas to develop a healthy lifestyle. In addition, at the Krajicek Academy youngsters learn to develop themselves in a positive way to achieve their full potential. Richard Krajicek is also the founder of the annual King’s Games: a festive event of sports and play in which an average of 1.2 million children participate. The King’s Games traditionally take place on the last Friday before King’s Day on April 27th. With his Foundation and other initiatives, Krajicek has been contributing to a sportive, inclusive and social society for nearly 25 years.

In honor of the 25th anniversary of Richard Krajicek’s victory at Wimbledon, the Royal Dutch Mint has designed a special issue. Imagine yourself at the Wimbledon stadium with the sporty coin card inspired by a tennis court! The coin card has a face value of 25 cents which symbolizes the 25th anniversary. In addition to the 20 and 5 cents, the coin card contains an exclusive Richard Krajicek medal. Krajicek himself can be admired on the obverse, surrounded by a laurel wreath of his beloved tennis rackets and balls. In addition, you can see Krajicek’s well-known victory slide on his knees over the court in silhouette. The text emphasizes the anniversary: “25th Anniversary”, “Wimbledon Champion 1996”. The reverse shows a tennis ball with Richard Krajicek’s signature