The world rankings are going downhill, but the Warstein tennis pro is optimistic about the future
The winning streak is over, the ranking is going downhill, but Jan-Lennard Struff didn’t let the loss in Madrid spoil his mood. “Of course it’s a shame that I’ve lost a few places, but overall I’m in a very positive mood,” said the tennis pro from Warstein on Sky. After a strong comeback against the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, Struff quickly put his defeat behind him.
“It was a tough battle, in the end only one or two points were decisive,” said the 34-year-old after the three-hour thriller in the Spanish capital’s “Rubik’s Cube”. Struff had trailed several times, fought his way back, fended off four match points and had the quarter-finals in sight. But he was denied a happy ending and his seventh win in a row.
He lost 500 points on Monday, which makes up around 20 places in the ranking. His seeding for the French Open (May 26 to June 9) is in jeopardy, but Struff sees the bigger picture. Last year, he was stopped in his tracks by a hip injury after his completely surprising appearance in the final in Madrid and was out of action for months. His place in the top 50 therefore makes him “very happy” today, he said.
And the next chance to climb up the rankings is already waiting in the coming week. Struff has no points to defend at the Masters in Rome. In addition, his form is good, he had Wimbledon winner Alcaraz on the brink of defeat and after his first title in Munich, Struff also proved in Madrid that he can achieve extraordinary things