Injured Tallon Griekspoor admits he could barely walk before setting up Daniil Medvedev final in Dubai

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Tallon Griekspoor defeated Andrey Rublev 7-5, 7-6, in the semifinals of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships.

And we’re still not sure how!

Landing awkwardly on a serve at the end of the first set, Griekspoor injured himself.

Heading off court to receive medical treatment, the Dutchman’s movement was clearly limited when he returned.

Refusing to let that stop him, Griekspoor broke Rublev to take the first set 7-5, before edging the second set tiebreaker 7-6 [8-6] to book his place in the final.

During his post-match interview, Griekspoor revealed how close he was to retiring from his semifinal match.

Tallon Griekspoor says he might have retired if he lost the first set vs Andrey Rublev

“No idea how I pulled off this one,” said Griekspoor.

“I could barely walk from the end of the first set.

“I guess lucky and unlucky at the same time, at least I could go out there in the second and just swing, try to keep my serve games, try to get a look somewhere on his serve, which didn’t happen, because he served extremely well.

Tallon Griekspoor vs Andrey Rublev – Match stats

“Then I got very lucky in the tiebreak to win it in two sets, because if this was going three, it was going to be an extremely hard story, so no idea how I pulled this one off.”

Griekspoor admitted that, having injured his leg late in the first set, he considered retiring from the match.

“I landed with the serve, and I felt something with my hamstring,” he said.

“Yeah, definitely, I mean, I played a crazy game at 6-5 in the first set, probably, if he holds that game and wins the tiebreak, I don’t know if I would have continued.

“Like I said, I served well, which kept me in this match, and I was extremely lucky in the end to pull it off.

“I’m just going to try to recover as good as possible, do everything I can, and hopefully be ready for tomorrow.”

Griekspoor can’t afford to be anything less than 100% when he takes on the former world number one, Daniil Medvedev, in Saturday’s final.

Tallon Griekspoor and Daniil Medvedev preview their Dubai final

The Dutchman was then asked for his thoughts on Medvedev, his opponent in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

“Well, I think I need both of my legs when you play Daniil [Medvedev]!” said Griekspoor.

“If I think about the match, last year was an extreme battle, crazy match, crazy comeback from my side.

• 2025 Dubai QF – Tallon Griekspoor defeated Daniil Medvedev, 2-6, 7-6, 7-5

“It looks like he is getting back to his best level.

“He’s playing extremely well this week. I’ve been impressed with his level once again.

“Let’s hope to recover as good as possible, give myself a chance to get ready for tomorrow, and hopefully go out there.”

If he recovers in time, Griekspoor will play his sixth ATP Tour final on Saturday, looking to extend his winning record to 4-2.

Tallon Griekspoor’s record in ATP finals (3-2)

The Dutchman mentioned his 2025 victory over Medvedev in his post-match interview, a match neither player has forgotten.

During his post-match press conference, Medvedev reflected on that match when asked about playing Rublev or Griekspoor in the final.

“He’s [Rublev] playing well. I watched a bit of the matches. It was always in the evening. He’s playing well now. Tallon [Griekspoor] same. Tallon beat Jakub [Mensik] yesterday, and Jakub is on fire right now!

• 2026 Dubai QF – Tallon Griekspoor defeated Jakub Mensik, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2

“Both amazing players. I lost against Tallon here last year.

“I beat Andrey [Rublev] three years ago here. I know them both pretty well.

“I will just enjoy their match and get ready for the winner.”

Only time will tell who will emerge victorious in the final, but you certainly won’t want to miss it.

Griekspoor and Medvedev will contest the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships final on Saturday, February 28.