Davis Cup drama! There’s nothing like it.
It was a bad weekend for the Netherlands, as their dreams of reaching the Davis Cup Finals were crushed by India.
The 2024 finalists lost to India 3-2 in Bengaluru.
Who is the best ATP player never to win a Grand Slam title?
Is it Alexander Zverev, Marcelo Rios, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer or maybe even someone else?
Dutch number one and two, Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp, were absent from the team, as the Netherlands were instead led by world number 86 Jesper De Jong.
Earlier in the week, Griekspoor criticised the Dutch federation.
Unhappy with Griekspoor’s comments, De Jong hit back.
Jesper De Jong calls out Tallon Griekspoor amid Davis Cup drama
As reported by ‘De Telegraaf‘, De Jong said the following about his former Dutch teammate, Griekspoor.
“It’s disrespectful. You shouldn’t disparage your country,” he said.
Despite both playing at the Rotterdam Open, there was no reconciliation between the pair.
“I don’t talk to Tallon [Griekspoor],” said De Jong.
“If someone treats his teammates like that, I don’t need to give him a hug.”
De Jong made his feelings perfectly clear, but what did Griekspoor have to say?
What would the score be if Carlos Alcaraz faced prime Roger Federer?
Who is winning and in how many sets?
After his first-round win at the Rotterdam Open, Griekspoor told ‘Nos‘ what he thought about De Jong.
“He says I’m embarrassing the country, which I think is a strong word for someone who
loses to the world’s number 500,” he said.
Netherlands vs India – 2026 Davis Cup qualifier
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | Guy Den Ouden (Netherlands) | Sumit Nagal (India) | Netherlands (1-0) India |
| 2 | Dhakshineswar Suresh (India) | Jesper De Jong (Netherlands) | Netherlands (1-1) India |
| 3 | Dhakshineswar Suresh/Yuki Bhambri (India) | Sander Arends/David Pel (Netherlands) | Netherlands (1-2) India |
| 4 | Jesper De Jong (Netherlands) | Sumit Nagal (India) | Netherlands (2-2) India |
| 5 | Dhakshineswar Suresh (India) | Guy Den Ouden (Netherlands) | Netherlands (2-3) India |
“I’m not going to waste time and energy on people who are of no use to me, and that includes him.”
There’s clearly no love lost between those two!
Griekspoor, disgruntled by the direction the Dutch tennis federation is heading, seems unlikely to return to the Davis Cup team anytime soon.
De Jong, on the other hand, may represent his country again later this year, when the Netherlands play Colombia.
Jesper De Jong once had a ‘good relationship’ with Tallon Griekspoor
Before De Jong had made his Davis Cup debut, he spoke to Vavel about his relationship with Griekspoor in 2023.
“[Tallon] Griekspoor and [Botic] van de Zandschulp are much higher ranked than the rest, so it’s obvious that they are number one and two, but it’s a good goal to fight them for that spot,” said De Jong.
“I look up to them; it’s good to have them around me.
“In 2020, we were practising together every day.
“Obviously, now we’re not playing the same tournaments, so we don’t see each other much.
“But if we are in Holland together, we practice together, we have a good relationship.”
A lot has changed since then…
Only time will tell if Griekspoor and De Jong can repair their relationship.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
