Tennis - Wimbledon opener: Only Struff and Altmaier win
When Jan-Lennard Struff casually chatted about his new blond hairdo at Wimbledon, Daniel Altmaier had to endure a nerve-wracking moment during his first set against British outsider Arther Fery. The 25-year-old slipped on the grass in the middle of the first set and remained lying down for a while. However, Altmaier celebrated a thrilling five-set victory after a tennis thriller over five sets.
Struff and Altmaier were the only German successes at the beginning of the Grand Slam tournament. Before French Open finalist Alexander Zverev's first appearance, they secured the German victories.
Altmaier overcame Fery after a rollercoaster ride of 4:6, 7:6 (8:6), 1:6, 6:3, 6:1. He had to undergo treatment on his hip and thigh areas and took 3 hours and 45 minutes to win. With a fortunate draw, he faces Canadian Denis Shapovalov in his second-round debut at Wimbledon. He reported that he had suffered a bit of muscle damage but that "nothing wild happened." He played with medication. The umpire advised him to lie down first and wait for the physios.
Struff impresses with surprising appearance
Struff made the perfect progress with a 6:4, 6:7 (4:7), 6:2, 6:3 win against Hungarian Fabian Marozsan. "It was a tough match. I'm very happy with the way I played and won," assessed the Saxon. He really showed off his new look when he removed his hat after the decisive match point. He not only caused a stir due to his victory.
Regarding the question of whether the blond hair was the result of a lost bet or a desire for a type change, he replied, "A little of both. My girlfriend did it. It worked out luckily. When I was little, I had quite blond hair. I like it."
Struff remains unfazed by setbacks
Despite showing signs of fatigue against Marozsan, Struff refused to be intimidated. "My nose is running a bit. But everything is fine. I had enough energy." This was enough to overcome setbacks. Struff found himself trailing 0:3 and 1:4, but soon found his rhythm and secured the first set. In the second set, he had a 5:4 lead, but made too many errors in the tiebreak.
From the middle of the third set onwards, Struff took control. The spectators bid him farewell with applause and the German flag. "It was definitely great that many German fans were there," Struff remarked, who now faces Chinese Zhang Zhizhen.
Yannick Hanfmann put up a spirited fight against Italian world number one Jannik Sinner but missed out on an upset. Qualifiers Eva Lys, Tamara Korpatsch, and Maximilian Marterer also lost.
Kerber and Zverev make their Wimbledon debuts on Tuesday
On Tuesday, former champion Angelique Kerber (against the Kazakh Julia Putintseva) and Zverev will make their first appearances at Wimbledon. Zverev faces Spanish outsider Roberto Carballés Baena in the first round. In their only previous encounter, he defeated him in Madrid in 2023 on clay.
I don't know how he plays on the grass," admitted Zverev: "It is the first round, where I hopefully will start the tournament well." Zverev intends to present himself at Wimbledon as ripe for grass tennis as he has apparently felt in the past few years.
Zverev in Title Hunt
Slowly but surely, the world number four seems to be developing a love for tennis on grass. Despite his disappointing performance in London so far, the 27-year-old has chosen to make himself a title contender for this year's edition of the third Grand Slam tournament of the year and clearly stated his goals: "It's the first time I really think I'm here as a candidate to maybe win the title."
The tournament is as open as perhaps not since 20 years, said Zverev, who has never made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon before. With that, the most famous tennis tournament in the world is its weakest Grand Slam competition for him.
- Struff and Altmaier's successes in Grand Slam tournaments came before Alexander Zverev's debut at the French Open.
- Altmaier's thrilling five-set victory over British outsider Arther Fery at Wimbledon was his first victory in the International Open.
- Hungarian Fabian Marozsan faced Struff in the Grand Slam tournament, but Struff emerged victorious with his new blond hairstyle causing a stir.
- Yannick Hanfmann put up a strong fight against Italian world number one Jannik Sinner at the Grand Slam tournament, but unfortunately missed out on an upset.
- In the upcoming Grand Slam tournament, German players like Daniel Altmaier, Jan-Lennard Struff, and Alexander Zverev will aim for victories on the grass courts in Great Britain.
- The opening game of Wimbledon for German star Alexander Zverev will be against Spanish outsider Roberto Carballés Baena.
- German tennis stars like Angelique Kerber and Alexander Zverev are expected to make their mark on the lawn tennis courts in Wimbledon, with Zverev aiming to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.
