Jan-Lennard
Struff withdrew from
Wimbledon after reaching the final of the
Stuttgart Open.
The German
player is having the best season of his career, going from playing Challenger
tournaments and being outside the top 150 at the beginning of 2023 to becoming
one of the most dangerous players on the ATP tour.
Struff
advanced through the qualifiers and reached the second round in both the Miami
Open and the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells. He was the surprise package in
Monte-Carlo, coming through the qualifiers and defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas,
Alex De Minaur (14th seed), and Casper Ruud (4th seed) to reach the
quarterfinals, where he lost to eventual champion Andrey Rublev.
Even more
surprising was his run to the final of the Madrid Open, including victories
over Ben Shelton, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Aslan Karatsev, before falling in a
three-set match against Carlos Alcaraz in the title match. Just ten days ago,
he reached the final of the Stuttgart Open, defeating Tommy Paul and Hubert
Hurkacz, but ultimately losing to Frances Tiafoe in the decisive match.
Currently
positioned at a career-high world ranking of No. 22, Struff has made the
difficult decision to withdraw from Wimbledon. The 33-year-old athlete is
nursing physical ailments that prevent him from being in optimal condition for
the third Grand Slam of the year, and he has chosen not to risk exacerbating
his injuries.
While
Struff's absence from Wimbledon is disappointing news for his fans, they can
still look forward to his potential participation in the upcoming Gstaad
tournament, where he is slated as the second seed. Additionally, he has the ATP
500 Hamburg Open on his schedule, a hardcourt event that he entered last year
as a wildcard but fell in the first round to Russian player Karen Khachanov.
Despite the
setback of missing Wimbledon,
Jan-Lennard Struff's remarkable journey this
season has undoubtedly solidified his status as one of the rising stars in the
world of tennis. Fans eagerly await his return to the court and anticipate more
exceptional performances from this talented German player.