Griekspoor lands a tremendous blow to Zverev: "I find it hard to watch him play"

Carlos Navarro - 17 Sep 2026 | 23:20
Tallon Griekspoor Alexander Zverev US Open 2026 ATP

Forceful words from the Dutchman, who mentions that he did not watch the final of the last US Open and joined the criticisms from locker room colleagues regarding the excessive number of bounces that the German needs.

Go to comments section Preferir Puntodebreak en Google
Zverev's harsh blow to Griekspoor.

Alexander Zverev conquered the past US Open 2026 and climbed several steps within the tennis Olympus. The German, with the lingering desire for a long-awaited Grand Slam that was not coming, left behind his demons at Roland Garros and took advantage of that confidence in the Majors to reign again, this time in New York: he is, without a doubt, the best player on the big stages of 2026.

The results, however, do not equate to universal love. You can be the best and not ignite passions; you can lose a lot and be loved by the public. Throughout the past US Open, names like Karen Khachanov criticized the German for his excessive bouncing before each serve, slowing down the game and driving his opponents crazy; days after his triumph in Flushing Meadows, the most surprising criticism so far comes from a surprising source, someone we do not usually highlight in such headlines: Tallon Griekspoor.

Griekspoor y una brutal crítica a Zverev.

Griekspoor slams Zverev and claims that the US Open final seemed "mediocre"

Interestingly, the Dutchman is one of Sascha's recent conquerors, having defeated him in Canada just over a month ago. He also did so on two other occasions, always in very tight matches, so he knows perfectly well what it entails to face the German. Before his upcoming Davis Cup match with the Netherlands, in statements collected by De Telegraaf, the Dutchman harshly criticized his fellow circuit member, making it very clear that he does not enjoy his tennis at all and that the quality of his matches is far from the best.

"I expected him to win against Shelton. The precedents already showed that everything was in Zverev's favor", begins Tallon, who described the last Slam final of the season as "mediocre". "The match seemed rather mediocre to me. Shelton played very inconsistently and gave away two or three free points per game. That's when you realize what the first Grand Slam final can provoke in a player. Zverev was not exceptional, but he served very well. The tiebreak of the second set was crucial". 

Does Griekspoor consider Zverev a threat to Sinner and Alcaraz?

Up to this point, so good. Or not? The fact is that the good Tallon did not leave anything to chance and doubled down on his criticism, now focusing on Sascha's excessive bounces before each serve. "I watched the US Open final very intermittently. There were other sports on television, and I just struggle a lot to watch a Zverev match. Even more so, of course, in this tournament, where he bounced the ball 400 times before each serve. It was extreme, but it clearly worked for him. Maybe I should do the same,” sarcastically stated Griekspoor, who does not seem to hold much sympathy for the current world number two.

The lack of sympathy seems to go hand in hand with a clear lack of optimism regarding the heights Sascha can reach. When asked if he thinks he could dethrone Jannik Sinner from number one by the end of the season and be a real threat to him and Alcaraz, the Dutchman showed not an ounce of doubt. "Without a doubt, no. It is not something I can even imagine. I hope both Alcaraz and Sinner return to their best level soon, but if either of them exits a tournament early, Zverev is always there to take advantage. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he ended his career winning four or five Grand Slam titles". 

Short and to the point. Tallon didn't hold back, and he also took the opportunity to clarify that, in his opinion, Alcaraz "should not have lost his quarter-final match against Shelton", pointing out, however, that Carlos's path toward the locker room, wearing a broad smile, is a sign that he is back. "I think he and his team were already satisfied with what he did". Surprising testimonies from a guy who urgently seeks to return to the top 50 after a year in which he has mixed early losses with very good results. Only time will tell if he manages to achieve that.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Griekspoor pega un tremendo palo a Zverev: "Me cuesta verle jugar"