Tallon Griekspoor, the Dutch number two, expressed disappointment with Alexander Zverev's performance following his victory at the US Open, describing it as "hard to watch". Griekspoor was eliminated in the first round by Ben Shelton, who went on to reach the final.
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In an interview with Ubitennis, Griekspoor commented on Shelton's matchup against Zverev, noting the disparity in their previous encounters. "I expected as much against Shelton. The head-to-head record was obviously already firmly in Zverev’s favour," he stated, adding that the final lacked excitement. Griekspoor described the match as "rather mediocre," pointing out Shelton's inconsistency.
He acknowledged Zverev's strong serving, particularly during the crucial second-set tie-break but lamented the overall quality of the match. Griekspoor remarked, "There were other sports on at the same time, and I simply find it hard to watch Zverev... It was really extreme, but it clearly helped him."
Despite this critique, Griekspoor recognizes Zverev’s current standing in tennis. Following his win at the French Open, Zverev is positioned 1,810 points behind Jannik Sinner in the ATP rankings, yet leads the ATP Finals Race with 8,650 points. Griekspoor, however, doubts Zverev will surpass Sinner as the world number one, saying he doesn't believe it will happen, while expressing hope for the return of Alcaraz and Sinner to top form.
Regarding Shelton, Griekspoor felt his advancement to the final was questionable, attributing it to Alcaraz's subpar performance in their quarter-final matchup. He described Alcaraz's reaction after the match as indicative of his expectations, suggesting that Alcaraz and his team were content despite not being at peak performance.