Tallon Griekspoor: the man of eight Challenger titles in one year

In 2021, Tallon Griekspoor (28) made a splash by winning no fewer than eight Challenger titles in a single year. It was the North Holland native's big breakthrough, and he has been a fixture in the world's top 100 ever since. Griekspoor has played fairly consistently, has qualified for every Grand Slam tournament since that successful year, and currently holds the highest ATP ranking of all Dutch tennis players. What has he won, what are Griekspoor's strengths, and what else can we expect from the Dutchman? Sjeng Sports compiles a player profile. 

Name: Tallon Griekspoor
Nationality: Dutch
Born on: July 2, 1996
Tennis hand: Right
Current ATP Ranking: 27 

That Griekspoor would play tennis was a given from an early age. The North Holland native was already on the court when he was just five years old, and the fact that his two brothers, twins Kevin and Scott Griekspoor, also played tennis naturally contributed to this. Both Scott Griekspoor and Kevin Griekspoor, both five years older than Tallon, played tennis at a high level, and their brother Tallon always looked up to them. "They were always better than me, until a certain age," Tallon once said in an interview with the ATP. And it proved true. Tallon Griekspoor's ATP ranking is now 27, something his older brothers couldn't achieve. 

26 wins in a row 

Tallon Griekspoor owes this impressive ranking in part to his successful 2021 tennis season. Before that year, he had only won two ATP Challenger tournaments, namely in Tampere, Finland, in 2018 and in Banja Luka, Bosnia, in 2019. While he failed to secure a final victory in 2020, the titles suddenly followed in rapid succession in 2021. Griekspoor turned the tennis world upside down by winning no fewer than eight Challenger tournaments. He was the winner in Prague, Bratislava, Amersfoort, Murcia, Naples, Naples again, Tenerife, and Bratislava again. These are remarkable figures for Griekspoor, who also managed to rack up 26 consecutive victories. 

That year marked a year of greatness for Griekspoor, who again won the Challenger in Amersfoort in 2022. He climbed into the world's top 100, and that had positive consequences for our compatriot. Griekspoor was allowed to play the Australian Open, competed at Roland Garros, played Wimbledon, and competed in the US Open. He reached the second round of every Grand Slam that year, except the US Open. He became more widely known among the tennis public, who recognized him for his powerful forehand, strong serve, and aggressive play from the baseline. 

Major titles in Pune and Rosmalen 

2023 also got off to a good start for Tallon Griekspoor. In fact, in the very first week of the new year, he won his first ATP 250 title. In Pune, India, he defeated Jaume Munar, Marco Cecchinato, and Aslan Karatsev before facing Benjamin Bonzi in the final. After a sluggish start, Griekspoor managed to recover and, by winning the second and third sets, secured his first career victory at the highest ATP level. This wasn't Griekspoor's only title of the year. A few months later, he achieved perhaps the greatest success of his career, winning the 2023 Libéma Open in 's-Hertogenbosch. In the final, Griekspoor proved too strong for Jordan Thompson, having previously defeated Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur, among others. 

Always strong in our own country 

That Tallon Griekspoor managed to win a major tournament in his home country shouldn't come as a huge surprise. The North Holland native makes no secret of the fact that he plays his best game in the Netherlands. Griekspoor often plays his best Davis Cup matches in front of his home crowd and performs well at the tournaments in Rosmalen and the ABN-Amro tournament in Rotterdam. This year, he reached the final again, with victories over players like Lorenzo Musetti, Hubert Hurkacz, and Emil Ruusuvuori. Undoubtedly, many more impressive results will follow for Griekspoor, who has been trained by his coach Kristof Vliegen in recent years. Will more ATP titles follow? Absolutely!