Wimbledon 2021: Alexander Zverev vs Tallon Griekspoor preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (4) Alexander Zverev vs Tallon Griekspoor

Date: 29 June 2021

Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon

Round: First round (Round of 128)

Venue: London, Great Britain

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Grass

Prize money: £17,066,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP.

Alexander Zverev vs Tallon Griekspoor Preview

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev will resume his quest for a first Major title when he faces Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the first round at Wimbledon 2021.

Zverev has had an impressive season, winning 24 of his 34 matches, which includes title runs in Acapulco and Madrid. However, in Halle, his only grasscourt tournament ahead of Wimbledon, he was beaten by eventual champion Ugo Humbert in the last 16.

Despite having a game well suited to grass, Zverev is yet to win a title on the surface. The 24-year-old has also failed to reach the second week in four of his five visits to Wimbledon.

Nevertheless, considering his form in the Majors this year -- Zverev made the quarterfinals at the Australian Open (lost to Novak Djokovic) and semifinals at Roland Garros (lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas) -- the World No. 6 will fancy a deep run at Wimbledon.

Zverev's first-round opponent, Griekspoor, largely plays on the Challenger Tour and is 2-3 for the year. The World No. 124 battled through three rounds of qualifying to secure a berth in the main draw of a Grand Slam for just the second time in his career.

Alexander Zverev vs Tallon Griekspoor head-to-head

Alexander Zverev has never met his fellow 24-year-old on the ATP tour before. So their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

Alexander Zverev vs Tallon Griekspoor prediction

The gulf in class and experience between the two players could not be more evident. Boasting a blistering serve and thunderous groundstrokes, Zverev has won 25 of his 40 career matches on grass and has all the ingredients to succeed on the surface.

Meanwhile, Griekspoor has never won a match on grass outside of qualifying. He was pushed to the limit in his qualifying campaign this week and even had to overturn a two-set deficit against Arthur Fery in the final round. The Dutchman is undoubtedly the underdog in this match.

Griekspoor might have a better feel for the surface, having come through qualifying, but that will not be enough to take down the German, who should be able to advance to the second round without too many hiccups.

Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.

Also read: Wimbledon 2021 - Alexander Zverev's projected path to the final

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Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram