Every week, LastWordOnTennis will highlight a player to keep an eye on as tournaments are played around the world. This week’s selection is Jan-Lennard Struff.
The Bavarian International Tennis Championships take place this week in Munich. Also known as the BMW Open, the tournament was cancelled last year due to the pandemic – it’s brilliant news to see it up and running again.
The 250-level event includes the world #6, Alexander Zverev, but this week’s player to watch is elsewhere in the draw. Zverev’s compatriot, Jan-Lennard Struff, is our pick for this week’s player to watch. Here are some of the reasons why.
Über-aggressive game
Struff, or “Struffi: as he is known by his friends, is one of the few in the game that still employs the serve and volley–even on a clay court!
You would be hard pressed to find anyone else this week as keen to shorten the points as Struff. His serve and volley tactics won him a very respectable 81% of his first serve points against his first round opponent, Andrej Martin.
For context, Stefanos Tsitsipas has the highest average percentage of first service points won on clay this year at 76.4%. At his best, his serve is in the same league as the best clay courter on tour this year.
If he doesn’t follow the ball into the net, Struff will look to keep the rallies short from the baseline. Dominik Koepfer, his next opponent, will put up a sterner test defensively but Struff has the firepower to potentially cause him problems.
Giant killer
Struff has shown he has the ability to beat the best in the world.
Since the beginning of 2019, Struff has beaten six top 10 players–that’s the same amount as Stan Wawrinka, Nick Kyrgios, Denis Shapovalov and Diego Schwartzman. The highlights of this include beating Tsitsipas on clay and beating Zverev for the loss of just four games.
At his best, Struff’s explosive game allows him to blow the racket out of his opponent’s hands, regardless of their ranking. If he made it to the semifinals against Zverev, he may be feeling confident enough to avenge his 2017 and 2018 losses to his countryman in Munich.
History suggests a German finalist
Finally, let’s not forget Struff is playing on home soil.
Six of the last nine finals at the BMW Open have featured a German. Though the crowds will be missing, Struff will be raring to perform well enough to be the last German standing.
Playing in Germany has also allowed him to bring his wife and child along to the tournament. This added level of comfort might just give him an extra edge.
Jan-Lennard Struff: This Week’s Player To Watch
Struff has been looking for his first title for a while now. His level of play is perhaps a little erratic which is why he has had trouble stringing together enough matches to make a title run.
When he is in the mood, however, few players can keep the point as short as the 6,4″ behemoth. Being on home soil might help him to tap into his best level. Whatever happens, his aggressive game should at least make for some incredibly entertaining matches this week.
Don’t miss his match again Dominik Koepfer this Thursday!
Main Photo from Getty.
