Tallon Griekspoor less than impressed with Ben Shelton's 'inconsistent' final display as opportunistic Zverev not at level of Alcaraz and Sinner

It is fair to say that Tallon Griekspoor was not overly impressed with what he saw at the US Open. He labelled the final as 'mediocre', slamming Ben Shelton's level before stating his belief that Alexander Zverev will never reach the heights of the big two consisting of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

It was a dramatic US Open which was blown wide open from the off when Sinner withdrew from the event thanks to a right knee injury. Alcaraz would be fit enough to compete, but there were question marks surrounding him as well.

He proved the doubters wrong with a scintillating run to the quarter-finals before Shelton played a blinder to oust his in five sets. The American was looking to become the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win a Grand Slam singles title.

After getting the better of Frances Tiafoe, he had Zverev to take on in the final. The No.1 seed had an easy time of it in the top half of the draw. He had not dropped a set since the second round and was glad to see all his big rivals depart. In fact, the highest ranked player he faced ahead of Shelton was Luciano Darderi.

He still proved too strong for Shelton, downing the 23-year-old in four sets whilst being so concentrated that he did not even know he triumphed, clinching a second Grand Slam title and making up for the wrongs six years ago at Flushing Meadows.

It was a brilliant title success that cements Zverev's name even further among the greats. Nevertheless, the title charge was not impressing everyone, with Griekspoor not as satisfied. His US Open ended in the first round against Shelton. He won the opening set comfortably but then could not keep up with the No.8 seed as he charged to glory.

In an interview with De Telegraaf, the 30-year-old gave his honest views on the final contest between Zverev and Shelton. “I thought the match was pretty mediocre," he said. "Shelton was very inconsistent and gave away two or three free points every game. You can see what a first Slam final can do to a player. Zverev wasn’t exceptional, but he served really well. The second-set tiebreak was crucial.”

A huge talking point around Zverev was that he bounced the ball so many times, with insane stats coming out about how many times he would bounce the ball before serving in the tournament. Ot was most certainly not to Griekspoor's taste, among others.

“There were other sports going on and I just find it difficult to watch Zverev," the Dutchman commented. "Especially at this tournament, where he bounced the ball 400 times before every serve. It was extreme, but apparently it helped him. Maybe I should do it too.”

He went on to suggest that Alcaraz had different expectations than anyone else, configuring up that idea after seeing his surprisingly positive reaction after the quarter-final loss.

“Alcaraz should have beaten him in the quarterfinals, but he played a nightmare fifth-set tiebreak. Then he walked off the court smiling. That made me feel like his expectations were different. He hadn’t arrived at the tournament at his best, so I think he and his team were already satisfied."

With that defeat, the Spaniard's hopes of regaining the title he won last year were dashed and Zverev doubled his overall tally. He had won more major tournaments this year than anyone else and bolsters his position as the World No.2. Sinner is in his sights while lavish praise has been sent his direction.

Talk of him being in that bracket of Sinner and Alcaraz had been met with contrasting responses. Griekspoor made his opinions clear. “Absolutely not," he confirmed. "It doesn’t even cross my mind. I hope they both get back to their best soon. But if either of them goes out during a tournament, Zverev is always there to take advantage. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he ended up winning four or five Grand Slam titles.”