Justin Engel is increasingly becoming the new hot potato in the fire of the German tennis men. Over the course of this season, the 17-year-old top talent has climbed from number 1,344 to number 397 in the ATP live ranking. A steep climb that surprises the teenager himself.
“I have come a lot further than I would have thought. But it just shows that hard, very hard work pays off,” said Engel recently, looking ahead to his first professional season in 2024.
The youngster recently celebrated his first win at ATP level in Almaty, Kazakhstan, defeating his Hong Kong opponent Coleman Wong in two sets 7:5 and 6:4. In the round of 16 the final result against the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo was very close with 4:6 and 6:7.
After his performances in Almaty, he was now invited by the organizers of the “Ultimate Tennis Showdown” show format as a substitute player for their event in Frankfurt. This takes place from Friday to Sunday.
In Frankfurt, Engel will mingle with prominent professionals such as Wimbledon semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti and Munich winner Jan-Lennard Struff.
Engel already knows the German number two from joint training sessions. “Jan-Lennard is a super nice guy. He made it feel like we were out together every day,” he said.
The Franconian caused a novelty with his victory in Almaty. Engel was the first player born in 2007 to win an official match on the professional ATP tour. He then appeared very emotional on social media.
“I can hardly put into words how proud me and my team are to have won my first ATP Tour match. And of course, as always, I would like to thank my father, who supports me in everything,” Engel said on Instagram written.
Source: www.sport.de
