Marcos Giron’s upset of Andrey Rublev in Halle may be a sign of things to come on grass

The American posted his first Top 10 win on the slick surface Tuesday, and is ready to do damage by maximizing untapped turf potential.

HALLE, Germany—Last month in Rome, Marcos Giron served for an upset of Andrey Rublev in the second round, only to lose a heartbreaker to the incoming Madrid champion. On Tuesday, Giron made sure the same scenario didn’t come to fruition.

Facing the two-time Halle runner-up, the American upstaged Rublev, 6-4, 7-6 (5), for his first Top 10 win away from hard courts.

Finishing off the world No. 6 was no easy task. Giron saw a break advantage in the second set erased, and his tiebreak lead was trimmed from 6-2 to 6-5 before a Rublev forehand error ended the contest.

“He earned the right to be back in the match. And then I thought I elevated in the ‘breaker. So it was a little bit back and forth. The margins are so small and you can’t live in the past,” Giron told TENNIS.com in a sit-down interview afterwards. “I’m happy with the level I brought and I feel like I can be disruptive on the surface.”

Giron is the first to admit that he’s underdelivered on grass. But if his first three matches on the surface this month are any indication, that may all be changing for the better. Last week in Stuttgart, he eliminated Andy Murray in straight sets and pushed eventual champion Jack Draper to a deciding set.

“I honestly feel like my grass-court results in the last few years have been objectively a bit disappointing. I’ve had some good wins, quarters here. But I do feel like my game should really be able to do a lot of damage and it’s a matter of actually doing it,” he believes.

A native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., Giron’s first recollection of hitting on the surface was with a friend at a local club when he was 10. Twenty years later, Giron has solidified himself as an ATP Tour regular. What he lacks in the height department, the former NCAA champion offsets with his attention to the finer details.

“I’m definitely a little stockier, and so I think my footwork has always had to be pretty good to be a competitive player. I don’t feel small by any means, but when I watch tennis I’m like, ‘Whoa, I’m tiny compared to these other guys,’” he shares.

“That means I have to do everything else really well. I have to find ways on the forehand, the backhand. Movement is huge, and it’s always probably been one of my strengths.”

A self-proclaimed “Quad Father” with compatriot J.J. Wolf, Giron’s physicality is a factor with his ability to efficiently get in and out of the corners and quickly changing direction from south to north. That’s particularly important on grass, where precarious baselines are an element that competitors are forced to accept as a playing condition.

“The hardest part is you can’t push off too hard and you can’t stop too fast. I’m able to decelerate pretty fast, stop pretty fast, I’ve got a low center of gravity,” shares Giron. “But, I feel like if you’re offensive, you can take your chances and run less than the opponent. Rublev slipped a few times in some big moments.”

Is Giron afraid of the same happening to him? Hardly, for he knows it’s imminent.

“At some point this grass swing, I’m going to eat sh*t. It’s going to happen and hopefully I don’t get hurt. But I’ve always moved pretty well and every year I’ve learned from it,” he says. “I’ve figured out what works well. I’ve talked to coaches. You talk to other players, what they’ve done well, what they find works. A little nugget here, a little nugget there. You have to learn, adapt and keep building or else you’re not going to be here.”

If Tuesday serves as a reminder, Giron is here to stay.