During the semi-final in Madrid, the Russian Potapova snapped at the beloved tennis player: “I do it!”
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Friday, 01 May 2026, 18:26 / Updated Friday, 01 May 2026 18:26
A surprising moment occurred during the semifinals of the Madrid Open tournament, where Anastasia Potapova (25 years old, ranked 56 in the world) offered a tasty dialogue with her boyfriend, Tallon Griekspoor. The situation attracted the attention of cameras and microphones on the field, which captured the exchange of lines between the two in the tense moments of the game.
Entering the main draw at the last moment, Potapova became the first “lucky loser” player in the history of the tournament to reach the penultimate act. After getting past Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in the quarters, her Cinderella run ended today, May 1, after a three-set thriller.
Cheers from the stands and a line that went viral
During the match against Marta Kostyuk, the Dutchman in the athlete's box constantly tried to motivate her. At one point, when the Ukrainian was approaching an important lead in the deciding set, Griekspoor calmly told her:
Tallon Griekspoor to Potapova during her match against Kostyuk in Madrid:
“Baby, you are the better player, but you have to believe it. Let's go. We need your best energy. Let's go, come on.” pic.twitter.com/rMmAzfpDRP
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 30, 2026
“You have to believe in yourself.”
Potapova's reply came immediately, in a firm tone: “I do!”
Not satisfied, the Dutchman continued: “You don't.”
The exchange of lines, captured by the microphones on the field, quickly became viral.
How the match went
The game had an oscillating scenario. Marta Kostyuk dominated the first set, winning 6-2, but Potapova made a spectacular comeback in the second set, which she won 6-1.
In the decider, however, the Ukrainian controlled the game again and won clearly, 6-1, qualifying for the final.
