Interview with Tallon Griekspoor: "I didn't know how to lose anymore"
In a big interview with tennisnet.com , Tallon Griekspoor talks about his record-breaking run on the Challenger Tour last year, the tough switch to the ATP Tour and the matches against the greats of the sport.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Apr 22, 2022, 11:10 pm
Hello Mr. Griekspoor, you couldn't play here in Barcelona. When will you be on tour again?
I actually wanted to play in Munich next week but I'm still struggling with the neck injury I picked up after Monte Carlo. So Munich will also be difficult, then it will probably be Madrid or Rome. We'll see how it goes, I hope to make it to Munich, but it's going to be difficult.
They've had to withdraw a number of times this season. Was it always because of that neck injury or did you have other injuries to deal with?
No, that's actually the first neck injury. I had a foot problem in Melbourne the first week of the year. I had an infection in my toe. Then what else did I have? I don't know anymore, I can't remember. After Indian Wells I had to move out of Phoenix. I've had problems with my shoulder, so yeah, a bit unlucky with the injuries this year, but it's okay. I've been able to play a few tournaments so it's not too bad yet.
They've had a tough couple of weeks lately, with a couple of first-round losses in a row. How do you deal with these mentally difficult phases of the season?
Well, I guess that's part of the game too. At the end of last year things were going really well for me. I didn't know how to lose anymore. And now at some point you start losing a few games in a row. I knew this point would come eventually. It just had to happen sooner or later. In Indian Wells and Miami I also struggled physically with an illness, which was tough. I've been playing better on clay lately, it was just a difficult draw. I played a good match in Monte Carlo. I'm not really worried. It's just part of the game and I'm trying to work hard and come back better.
Your winning streak over the past year has earned you the nickname "Challenger King," with your record-breaking eight Challenger titles in the last year. How did you manage to play so consistently throughout most of the season?
I remember when I started in Spain, I played well there. I went to Naples. I won the second tournament and after the second tournament I told my coach that I didn't want to play the third anymore. I was tired, I thought I was struggling, and he told me to play the third. I tried to just go out there in the first round and I played so well. I was full of confidence. I played like I hadn't thought I was playing so well. I rested for a few days and in the end I was ready for the weekend and I won another tournament. And then I remember going to Tel Aviv. I played well there too. I think at some point you just have the confidence. The guys look up to you a bit too. I broke a couple of guys early in the match and you could tell their confidence was dropping, so of course that helped too. Then at the end I was probably just full of self-confidence. I made it into the top 100, I felt good and it just went by itself.
You didn't play a Challenger tournament this year. How hard is it to transfer that confidence and winning streak from the Challenger to the ATP Tour?
Well, I think I did well in the beginning in Australia. I felt good there straight away. I think the level isn't really a big difference. The only difference is that you now play against a top player from the first match. With the challengers you probably have two or three matches to work your way into the tournament. And I always felt very good when I played a lot of matches. That's probably what I'm struggling with the most right now because I haven't played that many matches. So it's up to me to play as many matches as possible. I know that the further I get in the tournament, the more matches I play, the better I get. I think that's the biggest change. Last year I think I played 70, 80 matches? Well, this year that's not going to happen unless you're in the top ten. It's that simple. This is probably also a new thing to get used to not playing so many games. So yeah, I think it just takes time and I'm sure the rewards will come.
Looking at your rankings breakdown, you don't have many points to defend from ATP tournaments, most of the points come from the Challenger titles you won last year. So there is still a lot of room for improvement in the world rankings if you play some good tournaments on the ATP Tour. What are your world ranking goals for this season?
In the short term, it's the top 50. I want to keep that placement through the end of the year and make sure I start around 50th next year. Because I know it's my first year on the ATP tour. You know you're going to have some difficult draws somewhere. You will have to compete against some top players. So I think it's just about keeping that placement. Top 50 is the goal for the end of the year but I think if I'm feeling good and playing well then why not move up the world rankings?
So you've already played a few matches against the best players on the ATP tour. What do you think these players are doing differently from those who are maybe 50 places down in the world rankings?
Well I think if we talk about the top ten these guys are so stable every day. You just reach a certain level. Even when they're having a bad day, they reach a certain level and never go below that level. I think if you look at Rafa (n.d. Nadal) and Novak (n.d. Djokovic) what they do best is that on their worst days they still beat almost everyone. And then they give themselves another chance to be better the next day. The biggest difference is that their base level is so high. No matter how they feel or what they do, their level never drops below that. There are so many guys in their 150s and 200s that I think could easily be in the top 100, but they just aren't that consistent. I mean anyone can basically hit and serve a forehand. And I also think that the top guys took the game to a new level mentally and physically. So yeah, it's tough. It's not just about forehand and backhand anymore.
Earlier this year you would have played against Rafael Nadal at the ATP tournament in Melbourne, but - as you said - you had to sit out because of your foot injury. You said Rafa was an idol of yours. So does it feel like a missed opportunity to play against a player you don't know how many more chances you'll get to play against?
Yes, in any case. That was probably what annoyed me the most about not being able to play against Rafa on Rod Lavor. And to be honest before the match I thought I had a good chance. I felt so good, he came back from his injury. He only played one game against Berankis the day before. I think he struggled a bit. So at this point I was still thinking, why shouldn't I have a good chance? And then, three weeks later, he was unbeatable again. It's just a sign of how good these guys are. But yes, that was a missed opportunity to play against Rafa. I mean, hopefully I'll get another chance this year, maybe next year. It's up to him. Let's see, I like playing against these guys. For me, that's why I play tennis, to compete with the best players in the world. Of course, I particularly like playing against Rafa, Novak (note Djokovic) and Roger (note Federer), they are legends of the sport. Of course you want to be on the pitch with them.
How do you feel when you're on the pitch against them? Do you get butterflies in your stomach when you step onto the pitch against these guys?
To be honest, when I played Novak (Djokovic) at the US Open, I didn't have butterflies in my stomach. I felt terrible. He made me feel bad out there. As if he were on a mission. He played for the Golden Slam. So yeah, he didn't give me any points. But of course, when you come into the stadium, you see the crowd, you hear the crowd calling your name. I mean, that's a feeling that probably can't be described. You can only feel it when you play against them. So yes, that's nice.
At the moment, with you and Botic van de Zandschulp, there are two players from the Netherlands who are in the top 60 in the world rankings. Are you pushing each other to climb the leaderboard and be the better one?
Yes I think so. We both got into the top 100 at pretty much the same time. He had a crazy run at the US Open. I followed suit pretty quickly with some good challengers. But even before that we trained together every day and we talked to each other and said to each other: "We should be in the top 100. But why aren't we? Why aren't we ready yet?" I think that helps. He achieves something strong. I'm also trying to achieve something strong. He's beating a player, I'm like, 'Okay, I can beat that guy too.' And of course we can talk about it together. If he's played someone and I need to play that guy, we'll text and talk about it. It It's good to have someone to look up to. And we're a small country. There aren't that many players. So I think we need each other in training too and we can only learn from each other.
A little look back at the beginning of your career. Were you in the same academy or did you train in the same place when you were young?
We only started training together four or five years ago. We were different ages, so we never played against each other when we were young. And he lived across the country - I mean it's only an hour and a half from me - but we never trained together. I guess we both had our own paths to where we are now. We've been training together for the last four or five years.
Finally, what are your goals for the Davis Cup when there are two such strong Dutch players?
Well, we had a good qualifier against Canada. We were a bit lucky because Felix (note Auger-Aliassime) and Shapo (note Denis Shapovalov) weren't there. I think we have a great team, we have some good doubles players. I think Botic has shown that on a good day he can beat almost anyone in the world. Yes, I think we're lucky that we have two players like that and don't have to rely on just one player. Let's see what the draw is, I think it's in a few days. I think we have a good chance of having a good run if we're both feeling good. We have Koolhof (note Wesley) in doubles who is doing really well. We're confident as a team and we said that during the international match with Canada: why shouldn't we have a nice run?
Thank you for the interview!