Jannik Sinner-led Italy face playful "poisoning the food threat" as Netherlands captain previews Davis Cup clash
The Netherlands reached their first-ever final in Davis Cup history after beating Germany courtesy of heroics from Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor on Friday, November 22. Jubilant in triumph, Dutch coach Paul Haarhuis jokingly suggested adding poison to the food of their potential finals opponent Jannik Sinner-led Italy to stand a chance.
Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis was over the moon and praised his players for their performances this week in Malaga. In his interview after Griekspoor's win, Haarhuis joked that they might have "poison" the food of their potential title contest rivals, Italy, to have a chance at winning the title.
"We're playing so well, guys are getting confidence from these wins. But the other semifinalists are very tough teams. Italy as defending champs with Sinner, I think we're going to have to poison some of the food over there we gotta come out with big balls on Sunday," Paul Haarhuis said.
Netherlands faced Germany in the semifinals of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals on November 22, with Botic van de Zandschulp facing Daniel Altmaier in the first singles match. Van de Zandschulp began the contest on the front foot and took the one-set advantage.
Altmaeir showed resilience in the second set and staved off multiple match points in the tiebreaker to force a deciding set. After letting several opportunities to close the match slip by, van de Zandschulp refocused in the third set and converted his 10th matchpoint to win the contest 6-4, 6-7 (12), 6-3. With one foot in the final, Tallon Griekspoor completed the job for the Dutch.
Griekspoor made full use of the fast-paced indoor courts in Malaga, firing past 25 aces and winning 83% of first-serve points against Jan-Lennard Struff to seal a come-from-behind 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4 win.
Van de Zandschulp and Griekspoor's brave efforts sent the Netherlands to their first Davis Cup final in 105-year tournament history, where they will face either defending champions Italy or 2023 runners-up Australia.
Netherlands ended Rafael Nadal-led Spain's campaign at Davis Cup Finals 2024
The Netherlands were the underdogs at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals and faced home favorite Spain in the quarterfinals, which served as the farewell event for Rafael Nadal. The 22-time Grand Slam champion faced Botic van de Zandschulp in his final professional match and was defeated 6-4, 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz kept the Spaniards in the tournament with a 7-6 (0), 6-3 win over Tallon Griekspoor and once again took the court to play the doubles. Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers faced Wesley Koolhof, also playing his last professional tour event, and van de Zandschulp and the Dutch emerged victorious 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3).
The Netherlands will aim to win their maiden Davis Cup title on November 24. The Dutch's best performance at the competition before 2024 came in 2001 when they reached the semifinals. Interestingly, current team captain Paul Haarhuis was part of the Dutch team at the 2001 Davis Cup.