‘His best years are coming’

“Such a big victory over Zverev gives confidence. It didn’t make much difference if I had lost that game, but now I am in the quarterfinals and I feel great,” said Griekspoor on Tuesday after his victory in the eighth finals in Japanese Yosuke Watanuki to Tennis Channel.

For the 29-year-old Griekspoor, the victory over Zverev and quarter-final place in Indian Wells is a confirmation that he is on the right track. “I was often close to the big boys. I kept believing in myself and it was also a matter of head down and continuing to work hard.”

The good results of Griekspoor in Indian Wells already presented itself when Griekspoor recently beat the French sub-topper Hugo Humbert and former US Open Champion Danill Medvedev in Dubai.

Where does that rise come from? Under the supervision of his new coach Dennis Sporrel, Griekspoor is building an improved version of itself. Daring to attack, look up the net and sometimes play service volley, that is what sparing mainly wants to grind into it.

To illustrate: Griekspoor sought the net at least ten times in its last three games in Indian Wells and was successful in at least three -quarters of the attempts.

Sporrel and Greek track are no strangers to each other. They previously worked together at the Davis Cup, Sporrel was an assistant of Captain Haarhuis for some time. “One of the things we said to Tallon: if you want to beat those toppers, you have to stay closer to the baseline. You see that he is really trying this now and then you see what it yields,” said Haarhuis.

“Tallon no longer has to doubt whether he can beat toppers, because he proves that now.”

Rune is the opponent of Griekspoor in the quarterfinals. The global number thirteen lost his earlier two duels with the Dutchman.

“They say in the dressing room that you become ‘the father’ of someone if you win three times in a row from the person,” said a smiling rune at Tennis Channel. He lost in Madrid (2024) and Hamburg (2022) to Greek Spoor. “So I have to make sure that Greek is not my father.”

Rune, who was already the number four in the world in August 2023, is going through a good period, just like Griekspoor. “Tallon is a great player with a good forehand and service, but I feel mentally fresh. I am ready.”

According to Haarhuis, it is now especially important for Griekspoor that he will get even more confidence in his attacking game in the future. “In the past, under tension, he wanted to keep the points as short as possible, to avoid an exciting rally. Now you see that Tallon is getting much more convenient and makes the right choices.”

The confidence of Greek track is now growing per round in Indian Wells. In fact, he expects not to reach the peak in his career.

“I still feel that I still have to show my best tennis to everyone,” said the current global number 43, which in 2023 was already the number 21 in the world.

“I understand that comment, because Tallon only runs for about three years at the highest level,” said Haarhuis. “Moreover, he is physically only at a level for a few years that he can handle a lot of tournaments. So indeed, I think his best years are coming.”