Alexander Zverev may have added another Grand Slam title to his collection, but the German has also attracted criticism from fellow players following his run at the 2026 US Open.
Tallon Griekspoor, a Dutch tennis player, has given a particularly strong assessment of Zverev and has questioned whether the German should be considered on the same level as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Griekspoor's comments came shortly after Zverev won the US Open to win his second Grand Slam title of the year. He also criticised Zverev's lengthy ball-bouncing routine before serving, saying that it made watching his matches difficult.
Griekspoor Questions Zverev's Standing Among The Top Players
Griekspoor said he found Zverev difficult to watch, especially because of the German's repeated ball bounces before serving.
Griekspoor claimed Zverev bounced the ball around 20 times before serving during the US Open and suggested the routine might be intended to disrupt his opponents' concentration. He also compared the number of bounces with fellow Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp.
The 30-year-old then went further when he discussed Zverev's position along with Sinner and Alcaraz.
Griekspoor said Zverev’s success in this season was partly due to the fact that one of the two leading players was absent from a Grand Slam. He questioned the idea that Zverev is now operating at the same level as Sinner and Alcaraz.
Griekspoor said Zverev “acts like he’s the best” after winning two Grand Slam titles, while arguing that the German is not close to the level of Sinner and Alcaraz.
The Dutchman's comments are notable because he has faced Zverev several times and has also managed to defeat him this season.
Griekspoor Has Beaten Zverev Three Times
Griekspoor's criticism comes from a player who has considerable experience facing Zverev.
The two met in the second round of the Canadian Open in Montreal in August, and Griekspoor delivered a major upset, defeating the then World No. 3 seed 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4. Griekspoor won his third career match-up against Zverev but the German still leads their head-to-head record.
Griekspoor's win was particularly significant given he had been through a rough run before arriving in Montreal. He had won only one of his eight tour-level matches and played his best tennis against Zverev.
Griekspoor had described the match as one of the most special wins of his career and said he had been working harder in training in an effort to turn his season around.
Their rivalry has been heavily tilted in Zverev's favour in general. The pair have met nine times, and Zverev has a 7-2 advantage. Griekspoor's other win came at Indian Wells in 2025.
Griekspoor also criticised Zverev's US Open final
Griekspoor did not stop at the serving routine. He also gave a blunt assessment of Zverev's US Open final against Ben Shelton.
The Dutchman said he expected Zverev to beat Shelton because their previous meetings and the circumstances favored the German. The final was, he said, “rather mediocre,” because Shelton was inconsistent and gave away too many points.
Griekspoor, on the one hand, said Zverev played well when it mattered, especially in his serve. He listed the second-set tiebreak as a crucial moment in the match.
Zverev’s run in New York followed a strong Grand Slam season. He won the French Open earlier in the year and reached the Wimbledon final before winning another major title at Flushing Meadows.
But Griekspoor still believes Sinner and Alcaraz are on a different level. In an interview after beating Zverev in Montreal, he had already said he thought the men’s tour was more open when Sinner and Alcaraz were not playing and described the two stars as being above the rest.
As for now, Griekspoor’s comments add more fuel to the debate over Zverev’s status as one of the top players of the present generation. The German’s Grand Slam championship in 2026 has made him even better, but players such as Griekspoor are still questioning whether those results automatically put him alongside Sinner and Alcaraz on the same level of the game.
