Zverev, heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with world number one Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opener since Andy Murray in 2017.
The defeat in a tension-packed Stadium Court thriller continues a lackluster run for Zverev since he fell to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final.
Since then the German had made early exits at Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco.
Zverev saved five match points in a tension-packed 12th game of the third set, finally converting his fifth break point of the game to force the tiebreaker.
But Griekspoor sealed it on his first chance in the decider, and the Dutch player was delighted to get it over the line against a player who beat him four times last year.
Griekspoor next faces France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the 29th seed who was leading 6-4 when Hungrian Fabien Marozsan retired from their second-round match.
Zverev said the Italian’s enforced absence had at first had him harbouring ideas of climbing to the top. But they are fading with his game.
“Now it’s less, because I’m just playing terrible,” said Zverev, who made early exits at Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco before his disastrous Indian Wells showing.
He’s the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017.
“I have to find my game before thinking about that, because to become world number one you have to win tournaments,” Zverev said.
“I’m not past getting first, second round at the moment. So I need to figure that out first.” (AFP)
