Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Rotterdam match.
Despite a decade of professional careers and 28 years of life, these two players have never met on court before. Now, the Dutchman, taking advantage of his home status, has invited the Italian for a battle of hundreds of strokes in the first round of this ATP 500 event.
Matteo Berrettini
Unlike his opponent, Berrettini hasn’t played a match in over two weeks—his last appearance was in the second round of the Australian Open, where he lost in four sets to 13th seed Holger Rune (6:7, 6:2, 3:6, 6:7). Since then, he has taken a break. When it comes to hard courts, Berrettini doesn’t have an edge over Griekspoor—both have played over 200 matches on the surface, with the Dutchman holding a slight statistical advantage.
Tallon Griekspoor
Griekspoor also has the upper hand in indoor conditions. Berrettini has rarely played indoors and has struggled when he has—holding a 4-5 record across 2022-24. Meanwhile, Griekspoor had a dreadful 2-9 indoor record in 2022, but he drastically improved over the next two years, going 16-9. This season, he has played only four matches so far. He lost in the first round of the Australian Open to 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets, though it was a competitive battle (5:7, 4:6, 4:6). Last week in Montpellier, also indoors, he reached the quarter-finals—though that was an ATP 250 event with less challenging opposition.
Matteo Berrettini vs Tallon Griekspoor Prediction
There is no guarantee of an easy win for Berrettini. Instead of picking a winner, the smarter bet is on a tight contest. Given their level and playing conditions, a long match is likely.
