ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2024

Tallon Griekspoor

Press Conference

A. ZVEREV/T. Griekspoor

3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Tallon, despite the loss, you made it one more round from last year. A great level of tennis. Can you speak a bit about your performance today.

TALLON GRIEKSPOOR: Yeah, very tough loss. Very, very good match against probably one of the favorites to win the tournament, one of the players in good form.

Being so close definitely hurts. But, yeah, hats off to him. Great fighting spirit. Great level in the end. That shows also why he is, yeah, ranked so high in the world.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. At 4-1 up, when you got the double break, what happened? What went wrong for you today?

TALLON GRIEKSPOOR: Well, I think I already survived earlier in the fifth. At 1-0, I survived Love-40. The conditions were extremely slow. It was very cold inside. Of course a little bit of nerves there.

I felt like my serve let me down a lot at 4-1 and 4-3. Not a lot of first serves. But also, I had to mix it up, because I felt like the things I was doing, it took him a while to read that game plan. But he definitely started doing it in the end of the fourth and beginning of the fifth, because I already, I think I survived twice 15-40 end of the fourth.

So of course giving up, letting go a double break in the fifth definitely hurt, but he could have broken me at the end of the fourth and I could have lost in four. I think he also raised his level, but then, yeah, from 4-5 I picked up the level again, played two really good games. I think he played an unbelievable tiebreak in the fifth, and he deserved to win in the end.

Q. You're quite experienced now. I just wonder, a loss like this, when you sort of go to bed tonight, will this be on your mind? And then in the days that follow, given how close you pushed one of the best players in the world, do you think that this might help you in the future?

TALLON GRIEKSPOOR: Well, I hope it helps. I think I pushed Sinner a lot in Miami. Pushed Novak in Bercy. So, yeah, it's about time. One of these is going to come my way. I think I definitely deserved this one, as well. But, well, here I am losing the match.

Yeah, will definitely hurt for a couple of days, but got some time off now. Need some time off (smiling). Yeah, will try to regroup and come back better on the grass.