"Heartbreaking" - Struff retires from the Olympics singles
Jan-Lennard Struff pulls the emergency brake: Germany's tennis star is no longer competing in the singles competition. He's concerned about his hip, which caused a long absence last year. He has emotional words about his withdrawal, but continues in the doubles.
Jan-Lennard Struff withdrew from the singles competition at the Olympic Games in France due to concerns about another long absence due to a hip injury. "It was heartbreaking," said the Davis Cup player, after withdrawing from his second-round match against Frenchman Corentin Moutet: "I believe everyone who knows me knows how much I love playing for Germany. But the risk was too great to ruin everything again."
Last year, Germany's number two had to take several months off due to hip problems. After starting his Olympic preparation in Switzerland, he felt the problem again. "In the last few days, it has become much worse, so I had to pull back because I was in pain," said the world number 35 from the Sauerland region.
He can continue in the doubles as the workload is lower and the court coverage is not as extensive. On Tuesday, he and Dominik Koepfer from Furtwangen won 6:2, 6:2 against the Portuguese pair Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral.
Koepfer and Struff will face the Australian duo Matthew Ebden and John Peers in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz also aim to secure a spot in the semifinals against the Czech pair Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek. Koepfer faces a tough test in the singles round of 16 against Serbian gold favorite Novak Djokovic.
Jan-Lennard Struff expressed regret over having to withdraw from the singles competition at the Olympics due to his recurring hip injury, as tennis is something he deeply loves playing for Germany. Despite this, he remains hopeful and determined to participate in the doubles event with reduced workload and court coverage.
