Jan-Lennard Struff - Short break after the "magic run" in Madrid
Jan-Lennard Struff feels a big tailwind after his sensational run in Madrid. The Warsteiner could soon replace Alexander Zverev as German number one.
by SID
last edit:
May 08, 2023, 02:20 pm
After a week of intoxication, Jan-Lennard Struff treated himself to a late breakfast on Monday afternoon and then only longed for peace and his family. As sensational as his victory march was - the 33-year-old wanted to go home to Mrs. Madeleine and her two little sons, to let the hustle and bustle of Madrid settle down in tranquil Witten. "I think I wasn't at home all April and only four days in March," said the 33-year-old on Sky: "I'm just looking forward to two days with the family, then we'll see."
Struff made tennis history by entering the final of an ATP masters as the first lucky loser ever. National coach Michael Kohlmann praised this as "a terrific achievement that cannot be overestimated", the former German top player Tommy Haas congratulated Instagram on "a magical run".
Alcaraz on the brink of defeat
And even if Struff was denied the happy ending of his personal fairy tale by Carlos Alcaraz, he headed home with a lot of tailwind. "That encourages me a lot for the next few weeks and months," said Struff, after he had even driven the Spanish high-flyer Alcaraz to the brink of despair at 4: 6, 6: 3, 3: 6 and was happy about the "biggest success of my career so far" - which incidentally catapulted him to unimagined heights.
In the current world rankings, the Warsteiner is ranked 28th, higher than ever before. And soon Struff could even steal the status of German number one from Olympic champion Alexander Zverev - because while the trend at Struff is pointing steeply upwards, Zverev (22nd), who is looking for his form, has through his two semi-finals from the previous year at the Masters tournament in Rome (from Wednesday) and the French Open (from May 28) to defend many points.
Struff, on the other hand, can continue to play freely. He thinks that his run of success, which is all the more amazing after worries about injuries last season and the fall in the ranking to 167th place at the beginning of the year, will only "realize in the next few days". He has time for this with his family, because he decided against the planned start in Rome - after all, after the final in Madrid on Sunday evening, he should have played in the Eternal City on Monday in the qualification.
Struff beckons a place on the Paris seed list
Struff will no longer have to deal with such worries in the near future, after his rise in the world rankings, qualifications are a thing of the past. There is even a place among the seeded players at Roland Garros - the prospects are dazzling.
"Many factors speak for a good French Open. Jan-Lennard has a great position, many wins and a lot of self-confidence," said Davis Cup team boss Kohlmann to SID, as in Madrid, the clay courts in Paris are fast: "That suits him".
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