Martin Willem Verkerk is a retired professional Dutch tennis player. As a relatively unknown player, he reached the final of the French Open in 2003, which he lost to Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero. Along the way, he beat experienced clay court players Carlos Moy� and Guillermo Coria. Verkerk's game was based on booming serves and big backhands. His unexpected run at the French Open as an underdog and expressive on-court antics made him popular in the Netherlands. The final was watched by even more households in the Netherlands than when countrymate Richard Krajicek won Wimbledon in 1996. However, plagued by various injuries and mononucleosis, Verkerk did not reproduce similar results during the rest of the career, never advancing beyond the third round in subsequent Grand Slams. During his career, he won 2 titles and reached the quarter-finals of the 2003 Rome Masters. Verkerk played a close match against Roger Federer at the 2003 Paris Masters, losing in 3 tiebreak sets after holding multiple matchpoints, 7?6, 6?7, 6?7. 

October 31st, 1978 in Leiderdorp (Age 46)