Jan-Lennard Struff soaking in ‘incredible journey’ to Madrid Open final against Carlos Alcaraz
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Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates beating Croatia's Borna Coric after their 2023 ATP Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament.
PHOTO: AFP
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MADRID – Jan-Lennard Struff is relishing his bid for a first ATP title following his “incredible journey” at the Madrid Open, which has seen the German become the first lucky loser to reach the final of a Masters 1000 event.
Struff claimed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 semi-final victory over Russia’s Aslan Karatsev on Friday, days after losing to the same opponent in the final round of qualifying.
Despite his defeat in the qualifiers, the 33-year-old was added to the main draw after a late withdrawal and has since enjoyed a fine run, ousting world No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals.
Asked if he had expected to be in the Madrid final, Struff said: “No, of course not. I was very happy that I got chosen for lucky loser, that I had been drawn two out of three. This is just a crazy story, I would say. I couldn’t have imagined this...
“It’s an incredible journey and story, here in Madrid, and very, very happy. You should not give up and try again always.”
On Sunday, Struff will face world No. 2 and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Borna Coric 6-4, 6-3 on his 20th birthday on Friday.
Said the Spaniard: “It means a lot to me, playing a final again here in Madrid. It’s such a special place for me. I have great memories since I came here to play Under-12s.
“Last year it was amazing. I’ll enjoy the final and try to make all of Spain happy.”
The pair have met twice before, with Struff defeating Alcaraz at the French Open in 2021 before the Spaniard got his revenge in a marathon five-setter at Wimbledon the following year.
“We played in Roland Garros when he was 18. For a young player like him, he changed so much in this time. When we see what he achieved in these last two years, it’s just amazing,” Struff said.
“He’s a complete player. He has a lot of weapons. He’s serve and volleying, playing strong from the baseline, serving well, he has a drop shot. He’s very fast. He’s a great athlete... really looking forward to this match.”
Struff’s run to the final marks a remarkable turnaround in fortunes, after dropping out of the top 100 last season. He is now 65th after reaching the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals in April.
“Last year was a rough year for me. I didn’t play well beginning of the year,” Struff said.
“Injured my foot, fractured my toe, right big toe, and was about to start practising again and had some other problems in the foot which kept me from playing on clay, where I had a lot of points...
“But I didn’t stop working. I did a lot of fitness. I did a lot of practice still. I was focused, committed.” REUTERS
