After a strong season, 18-year-old tennis youngster Justin Engel is the first German to take part in the ATP Next Gen Finals.
Justin Engel benefited from the cancellation of the Czech Jakub Mensik, who canceled his participation in the event from December 17th to 21st in Jeddah/Saudi Arabia with reference to “medical reasons” canceled.
Engel is the youngest of eight participants in the tournament, for which the best players of the season under the age of 20 qualify. At the same time he is ranked 187 in the world rankings. the first German professional to play with the Next Gen Finals starts. The format was created in 2017. The Nuremberg angel, who announced early on that he wanted to become number one in the world, can look back on strong developments this year.
Top 100 at a glance
At the end of 2024 he was still ranked 396th in the ATP, but now his eyes are increasingly focused on the top 100. He continues to achieve impressive results, including reaching the quarter-finals in Stuttgart. With his victory in the first round of the grass tournament, then aged 17 years and eight months, he became the second youngest player after Rafael Nadal to celebrate success at tour level on all three playing surfaces since statistics began in 1990. In October Engel won his first Challenger title in Hamburg.
Justin Engel starts the ATP Next Gen Finals with great ambitions. And the tennis talent from Franconia also has big plans for the coming season. “My goal for next year is to sign up for one Grand Slam qualify. Regardless of whether it’s about the rankings or the qualification. And at the end of the year Top 100″Engel said on Monday in a roundtable discussion at the ATP: “Big goal, but I look at it positively and do my best.”
Justin Engel made his debut for the German Davis Cup team against Japan in September
At the event in Jeddah/Saudi Arabia he will contest his opener against the Belgian Alexander Blockx on Wednesday (1 p.m.). His other group opponents are Croatian Dino Prižmić and Nishesh Basavareddy from the USA. Engel has big plans for the annual finale for the best young professionals. “I’m enjoying it and I want to qualify for the semi-finals”he said.
