If the German team advances to the next round against Peru, the 18-year-old could play a singles match.
Tennis talent Justin Engel can hope to play for the German Davis Cup team on the second day of the tournament against Peru. In the absence of top player Alexander Zverev, thanks to the 2-0 lead, a victory for the top doubles pair Tim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz could secure early advancement and thus an appearance for the 18-year-old in singles on Saturday.
“Generally speaking, we have five good players here who are all ready to play,” said national coach Michael Kohlmann evasively when asked whether Engel would play a role in the event of an early victory against Peru. The team captain insisted on first securing a place in the second round.
Meanwhile, Engel’s teammate Jan-Lennard Struff praised the youngster explicitly: “He is an incredibly good player, already very advanced for his age.” Struff also attested to his excellent serve and “fast, swift” play from the baseline.
Not only in terms of his sporting ability, but also on a personal level, he fits well into the DTB team structure – despite the 20-year age difference in some cases. “He is extremely eager to learn, plays and trains a lot.” Naturally, the youngster needs to be slowed down a bit. “I think it’s extremely positive to see that after an hour and a half of training with Yannick and an hour and a half with me, he still wants to keep playing,” said Struff.
