Talent Justin Engel in tennis: On the trail of the greatest – Sport

There are a few video snippets from Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan, recorded last Monday. The young man in it is wearing a blue and black tank top, blue pants, white shoes, a white baseball cap – and a gold chain. He chases his opponents (no baseball cap, no gold chain) across the blue hall floor, sometimes with a whipping forehand, sometimes with his extraordinary backhand, sometimes with a cheeky stop ball. His serve is also a weapon, as far as one can tell from the snippets.

Sometimes Justin Engel played a little impetuously, he ran to the net unnecessarily and then had the ball beaten around his ears by Coleman Wong from Hong Kong, his opponent, who was ranked 133rd in the world. But in the end the Nuremberg angel, 17 years young, ranked 458, spread his arms. He beat Wong, who was ranked more than 300 places higher, in the first round with 7:5 and 6:4. That alone is a special feature, but it is made even more special because it was Engel’s first won match on the ATP tour in his career. And even more special when you consider that Engel is now the youngest winner of a tour match since Carlos Alcaraz in 2020.

“It’s unbelievable. Winning an ATP match at 17 is the best feeling I can imagine. I have no words,” Engel said appropriately after his little historical piece: “I love playing here, that’s why I won.” His father, a Nuremberg entrepreneur whose main job is selling rental tents with a capacity of up to 8,000 people, would have quickly melted away with pride on the sidelines. Horst Engel, head coach of his own son, has a part-time job – and is currently on site in Almaty.

Justin Engel’s story is closely intertwined with his father. Horst Engel was himself a passionate tennis player, successful among the seniors, and also once coached Anca Barna, who was ranked 46th in the world twenty years ago. “That’s why I play tennis now: Because my father thought, ‘Come on, now I have a child, we can try it again,'” the son quoted the ATP Tour homepage as saying. That’s why he tried to push the balls over the net as a three-year-old, even though the boy sometimes didn’t enjoy it at all. That’s why he gave up kickboxing, which he did almost professionally, but which became too dangerous for his tennis career. Since then, Engel has been enchanting with his punches rather than taking them.

Engel now feels “free from school, now the full focus is on my tennis career”

Last year he completed his secondary school leaving certificate, since then “I have been free from school, now the full focus is on my tennis career,” as he said after winning the ITF tournament in Uslar in July 2023. Engel won three other competitions in this cheapest professional category. When he won his first title in Villach in May, he was 16 years and 231 days old – making him the youngest German winner at such a tournament since Mischa Zverev in November 2003.

He is no longer quite as dependent on his father, because Engel is also in the junior squad of the German Tennis Federation (DTB), and he often trains during the week at the tennis base in Oberhaching with coach Lars Uebel. He often spars with Philipp Kohlschreiber and Maximilian Marterer. Engel’s rise has also not gone unnoticed by head national coach Michael Kohlmann: “He is an incredibly hard worker, trains a lot and remains positive even when he has given away an easy point – which is rare for young people,” Kohlmann told the SZ on Tuesday : “I’m very pleased with his rapid development.” And I hope that these Alcaraz comparisons will now give him the motivation to continue working hard on himself.”

Also Alcaraz. Engel’s backhand is often compared to that of Alexander Zverev. The teenager himself admires Rafael Nadal, who has just announced his retirement. He could completely identify with his fighting spirit and energy, said Engel in a recent DTB interview. And he was able to learn something from Novak Djokovic when it comes to nutrition. “I would like to train with Djokovic to see what the pace is like and what it’s like to play points against him.”

There are names that Engel juggles that read like that Who is who? the tennis world.

Kohlmann knows how quickly such a comet can burn up, as well as the increasing demands and increasing pressure rising stars, These young talents can also be crushed. He has seen too many shooting stars in his sport pass and disappear quickly. That’s another reason why he’s cautious about making predictions, especially for a 17-year-old who’s just taking his first steps on the professional tour. “You can’t expect him to be in the top 10 next year,” says Kohlmann. Opposite: “You shouldn’t set any limits for him.” People also like to throw young players into the Davis Cup.”

Justin Engel doesn’t set himself a limit at first. In Almaty he fended off nine out of ten break points against Coleman Wong and converted his second match point. Why lose heart now before his round of 16 on Wednesday against the fourth seed in the world rankings, 31st? Francisco Cerundolo from Argentina? It would be another first – the first win against a top 100 player.

One thing is already certain: he will quickly double the $23,840 in prize money he has won so far in Kazakhstan – in the event of a defeat against Cerundolo. But Justin Engel would love to spend a little more time in the mountain air of Almaty. She seems to be quite good for him.