Struff reaches Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time and faces Sinner

Even the path to get there was rocky for the 1.93-meter-tall serve giant, whose serve has repeatedly been clocked at over 200 km/h. In the first round, Struff trailed by a break in the fifth set against Sebastian Baez, but fought his way back. In the second round as well, he was down 5:4 in the fifth set against Brandon Nakashima when the latter stepped up to serve — and turned the match around. "In the first two rounds, the underdog withstood deficits in the fifth set," it says in that regard.

A rocky path through the early rounds

A particularly tough opponent awaited in the third round in Daniil Medvedev. The former US Open winner had opened with a break in every set, but Struff was not deterred and ultimately won in three sets. "In round three, he defeated former US Open winner Daniil Medvedev despite a devastating head-to-head record," WDR.de writes. Four wins in a row are now on the board for the German, with prize money totaling around 560,000 euros.

The toughest assignment the grass has to offer likely now awaits in the quarterfinals: Jannik Sinner, the world's number one. The 24-year-old South Tyrolean, who had already exited in the second round in Paris due to physical issues and underwent medical tests, ground out a five-set win over Miomir Kecmanovic at Wimbledon. Against Struff, he goes into the match as the clear favorite — all three previous meetings took place in 2024, and all went Sinner's way.

Comparison with Sinner: Chances from Halle

In one of those meetings, Struff had quite a good chance. At the grass-court tournament in Halle, he was leading Sinner in the tiebreak of the second set after losing the first (6:7), won it, and even had a break point at 3:3 in the third set. "I played against him three times, in Indian Wells, in Monte Carlo, and then in Halle on grass. In Halle I played a very good match, 6:7 in the third set, he completely took me apart in the first set. Then I somehow managed to get it to a tiebreak in the second set, won it, and had a break point at 3:3 in the third set," Struff looked back. Sinner decided the Halle quarterfinal in his favor in the third-set tiebreak.

Sinner himself was respectful ahead of the duel: "We've faced each other a few times. The last time was on grass in Halle. It was a very, very close match. Let's see what happens." Struff, for his part, was combative: "I can go into it with confidence. Of course I believe I can achieve something there. I've played well. It'll be a tough task, sure, but I'll prepare as best I can and then we'll see what happens." When asked whether he felt he had a chance against Sinner, he said once more emphatically: "Of course, naturally I believe I can achieve something there, otherwise there's no point stepping on the court."

Entry into the Last 8 Club

The encounter on Tuesday promises not only sporting delight, but also brings Struff another symbolic reward: With his qualification for the quarterfinals, he gains entry into the so-called "Last 8 Club" of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, founded in 1986. Anyone who makes the quarterfinals at Wimbledon can expect, among other things, lifetime tickets. The club's entrance is next to Gate 5 near the Centre Court. Names engraved there include Martina Navratilova, Boris Becker, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Patrik Kühnen, Sue Barker, Goran Ivanisevic, Sabine Lisicki, Marin Cilic and Petr Korda. Kühnen reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 1988 with a sensational victory over Jimmy Connors.

Struff's achievement slots into a series of German Wimbledon successes. German men's quarterfinalists in the more recent past include Alex Radulescu (1996), Alexander Popp (2003), and Florian Mayer (2012). Tatjana Maria sensationally reached the semifinals in 2022, Laura Siegemund reached the quarterfinals in 2025. With Struff, a German man is now back in the last eight.

That it is precisely the reserved man from the Sauerland who has managed this step has earned him great goodwill in the scene. Alexander Zverev, himself one of the best players in the world, honored Struff ahead of his round of 16 match with a warm-hearted characterization: "That's what I love about Struffi, he can lose in the first round 37 times in a row and then suddenly he's playing the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam. And we're all happy for him." Zverev also described his tennis colleague as a "teddy bear" who doesn't have a gram of malice in him. "His tennis colleague as a 'teddy bear' who doesn't have a gram of malice in him," Zverev said verbatim.

Colleagues praise the teddy bear

Doubles specialist Kevin Krawietz, a close friend of Struff's, also had warm words: "He's funny in his own way, even though he doesn't notice it. He's the dearest person in the world." Struff himself reacted calmly to the descriptions: "If he says I'm clueless — okay, maybe a little bit sometimes." Former Wimbledon winner Michael Stich analyzed his compatriot's run on Prime Video as follows: "He's experienced many ups and downs in his career, but he always believed in himself."

Struff has had turbulent months behind him. In his complicated season, in which early defeats were more frequent than late successes, his run at Wimbledon feels like a small sensation. The fact that he is now standing on tennis's biggest stage at the mature sporting age of 36 as a father of two sons makes the story all the more special. WDR.de categorized the march through the tournament in a report titled "The Surprise of Wimbledon — at home rather the down-to-earth Struffi."

Hurkacz retires injured

For Hurkacz, the tournament ended bitterly. The Pole, who had made life difficult for Struff in the previous sets with powerful and consistent serving, was ultimately unable to finish the job. Struff, meanwhile, retains the chance of the biggest semifinal of his career after this victory — against a player he already knows and against whom he was able to compete over long stretches in Halle.

Expectations for the duel with Sinner are high. Struff spoke of a "brutally difficult" but also "exciting task." The fact that his opponent needed five sets against Kecmanovic already in the first round and that Sinner arrived physically compromised from Paris at least nourishes a vague hope of an upset. One thing is certain: A win over the world number one would be a sensation for the history books for the man from Warstein, even at 36.

What remains, for now, is the certainty that a player whom many had already written off is having one more very big moment on the Wimbledon stage in the autumn of his career. Struff, the underdog, the teddy bear, the family man from the Sauerland, is in the quarterfinals. How far his journey goes will be decided on Tuesday.