Jannik Sinner labeled “best player in the world” by Dutch ATP icon

Jannik Sinner was praised by his opponent Tallon Griekspoor.

Jannik Sinner labeled “best player in the world” by Dutch ATP icon

Tallon Griekspoor and Jannik Sinner (Via Imago)

Jannik Sinner has taken the tennis world by storm after his outstanding end to 2023, followed by a historic run at the 2024 Australian Open. He beat Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev in consecutive rounds to become the youngest Italian to ever do so. 

After the run in Melbourne, the Italian continued his win streak at Rotterdam. Winning three out of three, the 22-year-old entered another semi-final of a tournament. He faced Dutch professional Tallon Griekspoor for a shot at the title. 

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Griekspoor, who has faced Sinner before, labeled the Italian as the “best player in the world” ahead of his rematch at Rotterdam. The two last faced in Malaga, where Sinner had outdone his opponent to win the match, eventually going on to create history and helping Italy lift the Davis Cup.

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The Dutchman told the reporters: 

No, I'm not surprised, he has shown in recent years that he would be capable of winning slams. For me he is the best player in the world at the moment, he is 21 years old, he is number 3 in the world and he has won 28 of the last 30 matches. He is the best player in the world at the moment.
Tallon Griekspoor said

Sinner has been on a roll, winning 28 out of his last 30 matches. On the road, he has beaten Novak Djokovic a couple of times, and other top-ranked ATP stars. Worthy of the praises, Sinner eased past Griekspoor, who was fresh off great wins. 

Tallon Griekspoor jokingly preferred to face any other player than Jannik Sinner at the semi-finals of Rotterdam

Tallon Griekspoor, a very talented Dutch player was one of the shining stars at the 2024 Rotterdam Open. He started with a huge win over No.4 seed Hubert Hurkacz, followed by a straight-set victory against Emil Ruusuvuori. 

Tallon Griekspoor
Tallon Griekspoor (via Imago)

Now, the 27-year-old found himself against Jannik Sinner for a spot in the finals, but was unsuccessful in his quest. In one of his biggest matches, the Dutch preferred to face anyone else but Sinner. Ahead of his semi-final match, Griekspoor was in an interview with UBItennis, where he praised Sinner while preferring to play anyone else. 

The Dutch said in the interview:

No, I would prefer someone else (laughs), losing to him in the semi-final is good but let's see what happens.
Tallon Griekspoor said

Sinner has won 11 back-to-back matches since the Australian Open and aims to extend the win streak as much as possible. He will now face Alex de Minaur in the finals.

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