Tallon Griekspoor blossoms on surfaces away from his first love of clay

FLASHBACK: Griekspoor ousts Zverev in Rotterdam

HALLE, Germany—There’s nothing quite like home, although Halle comes close for Tallon Griekspoor. Food that fuels the soul certainly helps with that cause.

On Tuesday, the Dutchman notched his sixth successive win on grass with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Roberto Carballes Baena at the Terra Wortmann Open. Turning up for a post-match chat, Griekspoor’s team had a beloved indulgence waiting for him—a local currywurst.

“Whenever I play club matches here in Germany, all I do is eat currywurst with pommes,” he tells TENNIS.com. “Here in Halle, it's three hours from home. It's kind of similar to the Netherlands. Came in my car. Super nice. I like it. It's easy. I'm always having a good time.”

One could say the 26-year-old has been letting the good times roll. This past Sunday, Griekspoor clinched his second ATP title of the year by storming back to defeat Jordan Thompson for the 's-Hertogenbosch crown. After having just one team member to share his maiden triumph with in Pune that launched his season, Griekspoor made the most of a 10-minute celebration with friends and family who were in attendance.

“Had one drink with them. Everyone went home. I went home, had to pack the bags,” Griekspoor shares about the hustle and bustle of tour life. “Got here (Monday), didn't hit. Just took a day off, did some gym and recovery.”

A player who has improved with each passing season—Griekspoor notably captured a record-setting eight ATP Challenger titles in 2021—the Harleem native has kicked it into another gear this year. His 22 tour-level wins in 2023 after Tuesday's victory account for nearly half of his career total (46). He’s evolved into a stronger frontrunner; he’s rallying more often when falling behind a set; and he’s showed himself an aptitude for delivering the goods on playing fields away from his favorite surface growing up.

“It's time for me to accept that I play maybe even better on hard and grass, but I still really like the clay. I think that's a good thing,” he reflects. “I've been making small steps every year. End of last year, I played pretty well, but I lost all those tight matches. I played well, it just didn't go my way. And I feel like this year, most of them go my way.

“Had little ankle issues on the clay, but then just kept working hard and somehow it all came together again on the grass first week. It was a big surprise to win that one.”

By running it back on home soil, Griekspoor cracked the Top 30 on the latest ATP rankings. In a strong position to secure a Wimbledon seeding, the newly-minted world No. 29 will be aiming to reach the second week of a major for the first time when the London major commences.

“There's still many guys between 30, 80, 90 that are such good players,” says Griekspoor. “It's still never easy, but it's going to help. It's improve the chances of a better draw.”

On Wednesday, Griekspoor will team up with countryman Robin Haase in doubles. Defending Halle champion Hubert Hurkacz awaits Thursday with a place in the singles quarterfinals up for grabs at the ATP 500 tournament.