Griekspoor lost to Tsitsipas after a long three-setter with 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4 and subsequently got eliminated from his self-proclaimed "favourite tournament" in his home country. But even after an early exit, Griekspoor wasn't unhappy with his performance.
"I am very content with what I have shown here again this year," Griekspoor told reporters after the match. "Of course you want to win this match, I know who I would be up against in the next round and that hurts too. I think the most positive thing is that I don't have so much to defend here next year.
"Obviously a painful loss, which is every defeat for me here in Ahoy. I think it was a very good match from both sides.
"I have seen a lot of Tsitsipas lately and I can honestly say that I have seen him far from reaching this level in those matches. He did well today, I think I did well too. This was a very ugly defeat but a very good battle."
Marathon matches
The match against Tsitsipas lasted 2 hours and 59 minutes, 34 minutes longer than Griekspoor's 6-3, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (4) victory against Matteo Berrettini on Wednesday. After having played over 5 hours of tennis in less than 24 hours, Griekspoor admitted the fatigue got to him during his meeting with Tsitsipas.
"At the end of the second set, I had it very tough physically. I already had that late in the first set and early in the second. I got over that in the third, though. You just know it's huge battles with guys like that."
Griekspoor lost thr thriller in Rotterdam after the Dutchman conceded a break late in the third set, shortly after erasing Tsitsipas' one-break lead. "You slowly turn that match your way again and condede an ugly break there, but he also does well. A lot of matches here have gone my way in a third-set tiebreak, but not this one."
The tournament in Rotterdam is Griekspoor's first with his new coach, Dennis Sporrel. The former assistant of the Dutch Davis Cup team started his new job last Saturday and has barely had time to get to know his new pupil. Griekspoor therefore says Sporrel's effect isn't visible just yet, even though the Dutchman displayed an attacking style of play he hadn't shown recently.
"I don't think so, it's his first week. I've played like this before here - I've played very attacking here before, and won a lot of games playing that way. I don't think it's something new, but I think it is something I have to keep working on and keep delivering."
Growth
The meeting in Rotterdam between Griekspoor and Tsitsipas was just the second meeting between the two in their careers. The 26-year-old Greek won the only other meeting at the 2023 Australian Open in three sets and Griekspoor acknowledges his growth since that loss.
"When I played against him there in Australia, I'd just won my first title the week before, just edged into the top 100... I was not the player I am today. It was my first time in the Rod Laver Arena and on a big court. I remember stepping onto that court and thinking that court was four times as big."
In his post-match interview, Tsitsipas, too, acknowledged Griekspoor's growth, praising the Dutchman for having matured mentally.
"Nice to hear players like that see that too, that I have grown. I think I bring the best out of these guys, I think they are wary of me. That's not always ideal, because I saw a very good Tsitsipas today that I haven't seen for a few months."