OMNIUM BANQUE NATIONALE

August 5, 2026

Tallon Griekspoor

Mixed Zone

T. GRIEKSPOOR/A. Zverev

6-7, 6-2, 6-4

Q. Big victory. You stayed good in the final moment. He broke you, you broke him back. How was it to get that win?

TALLON GRIEKSPOOR: Yeah. It means a lot. I've had quite a history with him by being a break up in the third or double break up in the third and letting it slip.

I think I didn't face a break point until 4-3 in the third set. Also, credits to him for doing it there. But happy with the game I played after and the way I served it out.

Q. It's been pretty hard for the favorites in the tournament so far. Zverev lost against you, and Felix just unfortunate today. Do you feel it's like wide open for anyone right now?

TALLON GRIEKSPOOR: Well, it feels light lately when Jannik and Carlos are not playing, that it's wide open for everybody. I think Zverev took very good advantage of that moment in French Open and also in Wimbledon.

So I do feel like, yeah, Jannik and Carlos are above the rest. And you see it now by Carlos not being there, Jannik not being here and losing early in French, it opens up for other guys.

So, yeah, I mean, I guess if you beat the first seed, you open the draw, but at the same time there are still so many good players left.

And it also shows the depth in men's tennis at this point. Basically everybody can beat everybody, which says a lot.

Q. Do you talk about that? Is that a talking point in the locker room?

TALLON GRIEKSPOOR: No, not for me. I mean, I haven't won a match in five months. So I'm basically not talking about these things. I don't think the other guys do talk about this either.

Yeah. I guess there are a couple of guys who have been solid week in, week out. If you see Rublev, Fritz, those guys also go down here, it also says something about how good the guys are who are ranked 50, 60, 70 in the world and that they're capable of beating them.

Q. Zverev was talking about, it was his first match since Wimbledon physically, going through that transition from grass to hard. You guys go through that every year, but still, do you feel that you having played just before helped you at all? Can you just talk about the challenges?

TALLON GRIEKSPOOR: Yeah. In general, I think I've been a seeded player myself in these tournaments, and it's not easy being a seeded player because you always play someone who already played a match, or sometimes two or three matches, if he played a qualifier, which I've struggled with also in the past by playing those guys who have already played.

So, yeah, it's not always an advantage having that bye. Of course, those top guys who go deep in all the tournaments, I guess, if you have some rhythm -- like you said, it's his first match on the hard court. Those are also occasions for me to take advantage of it, but at the same time I guess his confidence has never been as high as it is now by winning the French and playing finals at Wimbledon.

So I guess it's a challenge for everybody. I've been there as well, like I said, by being seeded, playing those guys. It's also nice to have rhythm in matches.

Q. He said that the surface and the balls were tough to handle. Did you notice the same thing?

TALLON GRIEKSPOOR: Like I said, I've been struggling myself for five months. So I have not played great for five months. I have been kept on working, working and working. That's all I did.

I thought I played really well today, played one of my best matches in a very long time. Served extremely well, made it extremely difficult for him.

So, yeah, he struggled. I could also see that. But like I said, I've been struggling myself for five months.

So, yeah, it is what it is. We have to do it with the conditions we have today. And I felt like I dealt better with it today.

Q. The overall record might not reflect it, but there's something you like about this matchup. There have been a lot of closes matches over 12, 13 matches now. What is it that you like about this particular matchup?

REPLACENAME: Well, he definitely has one side that is much weaker than the other side, in my eyes. I feel like his backhand is one of the best backhands in the world, if not the best backhand in the world. And I feel like I'm quite well in mixing it up towards his forehand side.

But at the same time, he also killed me a couple of matches from both wings. He can serve extremely well. But maybe the conditions, the balls, just my style of playing against him by making it awkward, by mixing it up. I tried not to give him too much rhythm, which seems to work. I tried to mix it up with serve and volley now and then.

So, yeah, it works quite well. I feel like I have the way to play, but at the same time, he has beaten me -- I think I'm still 9-3 down in the head-to-head. It definitely should have been 8-4, 7-5 or even 6-6. I let slip a couple very ugly ones. But that's also his class and how good he is.

Like he has been extremely good for so, so many years. And, like I said, him winning his first Slam, I called it straight after that, he was going to play more freely, better, better and better, which I think we will see from him.

I mean, him making finals of Wimbledon, I think he never made it past the fourth round there before. So it says a lot, and we're definitely going to see him win so many more tournaments and go deep in the big tournaments.

Q. There were two incidents during the match in the crowd. What's it like when you're on court and that happens?

TALLON GRIEKSPOOR: I mean, it's completely out of my hands, out of our hands. I guess it happens sometimes.

I hope they are fine in the first place. That's the most important thing. I think they were quite fast by solving it and putting the right people around it. So, yeah, it's out of our hands and it just happens.