Today, Tallon Greekpoor rises to 21st place in the world rankings and is therefore the highest ranked Dutch tennis player since 2004. They did not think that at Tennis Association Nieuw-Vennep, where it all started for the 27-year-old tennis player, but they are of course more than pride.
“I thought he would make it into the top 50, but 21st place in the world rankings? No, I didn’t think so. Truly incredible,” says Arthur Maaswinkel, trainer at the Nieuw-Venneps club where Tallon Greekpoor once started as a five-year-old boy.
Maaswinkel trained Greek Spoor for the first two years, from the age of five to seven. He came to the tennis club with his older brothers to practice. “The brothers were good tennis players, but I soon saw that little Tallon had real talent. He was already a lot stronger than other children his age.”
Last year, Greek Spoor played the best year of his tennis career. In January he won his first ATP title in Pune, India. And in June he also won the title in Rosmalen. Last week he lost to Novak Djokovic in three sets at the masters tournament in Paris, but after the match the Serb declared that Greek track deserved to win.
Greekpoor family
Tennis is in the blood of the Nieuw-Venneper. Most family members have played or still play tennis. All at the same club, in Nieuw-Vennep. Tallon’s grandfather, founder of the Greekpoor technology company, is the main sponsor of the main tournament and his brother maintained the tennis courts at the club for many years. Greekpoor senior still cycles to the club every week with his wife for a cup of coffee, says chairman Rogier Liefmans. “And then he always checks whether the jobs are in good condition.”
The family business, which is located in Haarlemmermeer, has always been a safety net for the Greek Spoor children, says Maaswinkel. “It was very nice for those boys that they would not fall into a black hole if tennis did not work out. That gives them peace of mind.” The eldest brothers Scott and Kevin now both work full-time in the company.
Character
Greek Spoor will not settle for 21st place, he said last May. The top 20 is his goal. In two weeks he will participate in the Davis Cup final in Malaga. The new season starts at the end of December with the United Cup, the tennis tournament for mixed teams in which he forms a team with Arantxa Rus.
What makes him so good? According to trainer Maaswinkel, in addition to talent, it is also a matter of character. “He is mentally very strong. He can process disappointments, swallow them and move on. There you see that Nieuw-Venneps mentality that he got from his grandfather. Work hard and keep going.”