ATP Masters Madrid: From 0 to 100 - the second final by Jan-Lennard Struff
Jan-Lennard Struff has reached the final of an ATP tournament for the second time. In Madrid 2023 things will be very different than in Munich two years ago.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: May 06, 2023, 08:02 am
Jan-Lennard Struff is one of those professionals who can immediately retell every single point after a match. At 4:3 and 30:15, there was this one backhand ball, I should have given myself the slice... or something like that. And so it was no surprise that Struff recalled his only final on the ATP tour on Friday evening during the on-court interview in Madrid.
That was in 2021, in Munich, a year when no spectators were allowed at the MTTC Iphitos due to the corona pandemic. It probably wouldn't have mattered to Struff to celebrate more or less alone, but he lost the final against Nikoloz Basilashvili 4: 6 and 5: 7 (5). On a cold, wet day, if the reporter's memory is correct.
That will be completely different on Sunday. The weather in Madrid is consistently good - and the hut will be full. Struff has gained the respect of Spanish tennis fans in the last few days, but an away game against Carlos Alcaraz is definitely to be expected. An experience that the 33-year-old Struff has often been active in the Davis Cup, as a passionate supporter of Borussia Dortmund and also passive as a fan. The fact that Jan-Lennard Struff is still looking forward to this meeting with the local hero can be seen from him without looking.
Struff with a balanced record against Alcaraz
The match against Alcaraz will of course be very different from the one against Aslan Karatsev. Struff's manager also assessed that immediately after entering the final. Karatsev is an extremely calm representative of his field, trying to put his opponent to sleep a little too. Carlos Alcaraz embodies exactly the opposite: the now 20-year-old is in a permanent state of emergency, also fueled by his box, which leaves no rally uncommented.
There have been two games against the Spaniard so far, the record is balanced. Especially the encounter in Wimbledon last year Struff is still present, actually he has advantages over Alcaraz on grass. In fact, the Spaniard won this argument in five sets. A year earlier, Struff had won the premiere in Roland Garros. If desired, he can certainly retell the entire course of the game.
Here is the individual tableau in Madrid
madrid map