Jan 18, 2023 at 4:08 PMUpdate: 18 minutes ago
Tallon Greek track and Botic van de Zandschulp were not friends for a while on Wednesday when they faced each other in the second round of the Australian Open. Greek track won the Dutch get-together in Melbourne and thus continued its advance of recent weeks.
“I was a little more nervous, because you know each other so well,” the Greek track told the ANP news agency afterwards. “And I really wanted to get on that track. Yesterday during training I thought: I don’t want to train, I want to play that game. I knew I was ready.”
Despite his recent tournament victory in India, Greek track was not the favorite in the match against Van de Zandschulp. The latter is higher in the world ranking (34 to 63) and also achieved much better results at Grand Slam tournaments. The last two meetings were also won by the Veenendaler.
“We get on well with each other, but when we face each other, we are not friends for a while. Then it is everyone for himself. He won the last two times and I have lost to him endless times during training sessions,” said Greek track after the 6-4, 6-4 and 6-4 on lane 17 of Melbourne Park.
“This one feels very nice and I still owed this one, haha. We did talk to each other this afternoon in the dressing room, but only said hello and didn’t have a conversation. You both do your own thing.”
Botic van de Zandschulp went down in three sets against Tallon Grepe. Photo: ANP
‘We had to wait a long time’
This brought a hectic day to a good end for the Greek track. The two Dutchmen were only able to get on the track just before 10 p.m. (local time) because some parties had to be overtaken. On Tuesday it was very hot in Melbourne, so there was hardly any play.
On Wednesday, rain also followed in the Australian city, testing the patience of the Greeks and Van de Zandschulp even more. “I was afraid that it would be night work, especially if it went to four or five sets. Then it could have been 2:00 am.”
“It was a long day in terms of waiting. You go to eat a few times and every time it’s: can we warm up or not? You’re stretched out on the couch, watching a series or watching tennis from the stadiums on television. It was chaos at the park, everyone was busy and there was no room anywhere. I’m glad the day is over.”
Greek track will compete in the third round against Stéfanos Tsitsipás, the number four in the world. The game will be played on Friday. Greek track has never reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament before. His best performance at a major was the second round until the Australian Open.
Beeld: Getty Images
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TennisAustralian OpenTallon Greek trackBotic of the Sand Scallop
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