Heartbreak for Struff after reaching Stuttgart final and superb clay court season, out of 2023 Wimbledon

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.

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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.

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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.

Mario Boccardi

@marioboc17

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