In his new sport.de column, Florian Regelmann looks at all the topics that are currently bothering him, inspiring him or exciting him. At the start it’s about tennis professional Jan-Lennard Struff.
Enough with who-will-be-Bayern-coach-blah-blah-blah! Enough! To start my column, I want to focus on an athlete who deserves a little more attention: Jan-Lennard Struff.
Jan-Lennard Struff – “I just try to be a nice person”
There are athletes whose successes are particularly appreciated. When Jan-Lennard Struff won the tournament in Munich almost two weeks ago, there was probably not a single person in the tennis bubble who wasn’t happy for Struff. In the 218th tournament of his career, after losing three finals, sometimes in a very bitter way, Struffi finally had his big moment.
And what did Struff say at the moment of his greatest success? “I’m just trying to be a nice person.” Works quite well, Struffi, works quite well.
“I did a week of training with Struffi at the end of last year, and he also got to know a few of my close friends. And when people like that, who had nothing to do with a person before, are immediately enthusiastic and say something after the first impression “What an incredibly good guy he is, that says it all,” said tennis professional Daniel Masur recently in the “Advantage Podcast”.
He’s an even better person than a player. This is a phrase that is used quite often these days. But if we look at what’s going on in the (sports) world, how values are being lived less and less, we should just be happy that the phrase is actually not so rarely true. Especially in tennis.
Because the same could be said about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. What a gift for tennis that after the Big Four you get two guys like that who are leading your sport into the future and are already the present – it’s pretty incredible when you think about it.
Struff has just turned 34 and is therefore the third oldest premiere champion. He will no longer determine the future of tennis, but in the autumn of his career he is definitely the best Struffi of all time and gives more of the impression of a 24-year-old. “My career would not have been worth any less without the victory,” explained Struff after his Munich title. And he doesn’t just say it like that, he means it.
Jan-Lennard Struff had to work hard for everything
Anyone who follows Struff’s career will see someone who didn’t shoot up at the age of 20 due to massive talent and everything came to him. Struff had to work hard for everything. And what he achieved was an extremely respectable career over many years.
He was the type of top 50 player, someone that none of the stars liked playing against because he could do a lot of damage against anyone with his power game. He was always someone who played his best tennis for Germany in the Davis Cup. He was also always someone who got the – sorry – shittiest draws ever at Grand Slams.
When Struff was only ranked above 160th in the world rankings at the end of 2022/beginning of 2023 due to injury problems with his foot, his career seemed to be coasting rather than the best time ever coming. But no way!
Struff comeback with obstacles
Struff fought his way back the hard way, struggled through qualifying and then actually had a bit of luck a year ago. At the Masters in Madrid he was eliminated in qualifying, made it into the main draw as a lucky loser and made an almost miraculous run to the final before being stopped by Alcaraz.
Struff’s form was frighteningly good, so good that you thought: Oh man, I especially want to see this Struffi at Wimbledon, it could go really far… Instead, Struff’s magical season was stopped by a hip injury. He was out for three months and in between didn’t know exactly what would happen next. It couldn’t be more bitter. But what was supposed to happen as a result was “vintage Struffi” again.
Of course, he needed time to get back into shape after his comeback. And there have been defeats this year in particular, so you could get completely crazy. 6:7 in the fifth at the Australian Open against Miomir Kecmanovic, an absurd match. 6:7 in the third in Dubai against Hubert Hurkacz, an absurd match with an absurd amount of bad luck. All of these matches after which the inclined tennis player says: “I’ll never play tennis again!”
But it was still clear to see that Struff is gradually getting back into the form from last year, and even improving it again. Anyone who sees him currently playing somehow sees him with even more power (it feels like 400 km/h with every shot), with even more determination, with even more conviction, with even more penetration.
Struff’s first tournament victory in disgusting conditions
In general, Struff’s body language is something for an educational film anyway. When I watch Struffi on the court, it almost affects me when I think of myself in the past… I’m just Andy Murray, but unfortunately not Jan-Lennard Struff… Of course it was a development for him too, but Struff is like that positive, so so so hot, also so fresh, he gives himself a fist, he confirms and pushes himself all the time – it’s sensational.
When Marvin Netuschil (one of Struff’s two top coaches alongside Carsten Arriens) sits in the box with his legendary emotional and loud manner, the two of them create the most positive vibes on the tour.
It is therefore no coincidence that Struff won his first victory in Munich a few weeks ago. During a week in Munich in which it was once again incredibly disgusting, in which you had to sit at your seat with gloves, a winter jacket and a bobble hat at 5 degrees. Disgusting! But Struff accepted the conditions, played doubles in addition to the singles all week and didn’t complain once.
Or the match in Monte-Carlo against Sebastian Baez. Young Argentinian, you can’t get much worse draws on clay in round one. Struff is 1:6, 2:5 behind, absolutely nothing works, the match is actually over. But in the end he still wins it and you just think to yourself: It’s so typical of Struffi the way he did it, many other players would have been at the airport long ago.
Jan-Lennard Struff: A role model for the young generation
If someone were to ask me which athlete I think would be a good role model, Jan-Lennard Struff would actually be my first answer. He would be the FIRST answer. Well, you have to ignore his strange passion for football (Borussia, Borussia BVB), but that’s not that difficult at the moment for a VfB player like me, who has won all the games against Dortmund this season.
In Madrid, in a dramatic duel, Alcaraz was once again a touch too good in the decisive one or two points (and again 6:7 in the third, damn it!), but the absolute top guys really have to come in to keep Struff out of that to take the tournament. The last four defeats were twice against Sinner, once against Alcaraz and once against Alex de Minaur, also one of the best players in 2024. He is more or less sweeping over almost all other opponents.
And in the match against Alcaraz (who admittedly wasn’t at the top of his game) you also saw a new self-image in Struff. It was palpable the whole time that it wasn’t enough for him to show a good match here. He knows he can beat anyone. What he is still missing in his career is a deep run at a Grand Slam. His career won’t be worth any less if this run doesn’t come, but I believe it will. He’s coming soon.
sport.de columnist Florian Regelmann can look back on many years as a senior sports editor; he has been working as Head of US Sports for HEIM:SPIEL since March.
2024-05-07 09:23:00
#JanLennard #Struff #Germanys #underrated #athlete
