Jan-Lennard Struff is a low-key but valued member of the Head family, having not just continued to improve well into his 30s, but also having stuck to his beliefs, in particular a wish to be as good to tennis as he is to himself.

Introverted, but determined and ambitious

Most professional tennis players are extroverts, but there are a few quieter ones, and “Struffi”, as Jan-Lennard Struff is known to most around him, is one of the more shy players on the pro circuit. But beneath his quiet and reserved exterior lies a caring and principled person who very much wants to give back to those who have supported him.

A quiet and reserved man, he is a case of still waters running deep. And not a lot of people who follow tennis could tell you much about the big-serving German.

“I am quite an introverted person,” he says, “but I am also determined and ambitious. I’m committed to tennis and sports, and to my family. I love the game, but I also try to be kind and respectful to everyone. When I was little, I got a badminton racquet and early on I would be hunting a balloon through the house. My parents never put any pressure on me to be a player, they just encouraged me to fight for my dreams.”

Sunny tennis on wintry school mornings

Struff started playing tennis at six in Warstein, about 40 kilometres east of Dortmund. His parents Dieter and Martina are both tennis coaches; they gave him a badminton racquet when he was very young, and “I would go hunting a balloon through the house,” Struff says. He was also a huge football fan – his team is the nearby Borussia Dortmund, a following that continues to this day, indeed a dream of his would be to switch places with a footballer.

However, as he grew up tennis was the focus. He would wake up early on winter’s mornings to watch the Australian Open on TV before going to school. There were many times he would be late for school because he would be so engrossed in matches, he admits with a sheepish smile. The hot sunny Australian days were appealing to a boy in wintry Germany who would then rush home from school to watch the end of the Melbourne night sessions.

When he left school, pursuing tennis was a no-brainer. He was encouraged to go to university, but his mind was made up. And those words of advice from his parents about fighting for your dreams came to the forefront.

His junior years brought limited success, and success on the tour was slow in coming, but the ambition still burned brightly. “It was tough, really tough and it took all my commitment and focus to remain steady,” Struff says. “I’m really proud of my journey, and I’m still trying for more. Every player starts from zero and many don’t make it. I’m really pleased that all the hard work I put in made me reach a lot of aims. You have good and bad memories, but you learn from all. It’s a process and I’m happy with that.

A late bloomer

Struff was 26 by the time he broke into the world’s top 100 after the 2016 Roland-Garros, and didn’t make inroads into the top 50 until 2019, the year he reached the second week of a major for the first time.

The suspension of the tennis tour for five months in 2020 because of Covid-19 allowed Stuff to spend more time with his son Henri, born in 2019, who he describes as the sun that shines for him. “He changed a lot for me,” Struff said. “Being responsible for a small kid is a challenge which I love. Trying to give him everything to fulfil his dreams in the future is what I want to do. I can’t live without my kid. Henri is a joyful part of my life.”

The best years of Stuff’s career have come since that time. In 2021 he reached his first tour-level final on the clay of Munich. Then he had a remarkable 2023, which saw him reach three finals and hit a career-high ranking of 21 at age 33. One of those finals was Madrid, when Struff got into the main draw as a Lucky Loser, and then reached the final, including beating the player who had beaten him in qualifying, fellow Head ambassador Aslan Karatsev! And then in April 2024 he finally won his first ATP singles title, triumphing in Munich.

This latter part of Struff’s career has been under the guidance of his coach Carsten Arriens, who helped bring Struffi out of his shell. “He is able to push me,” Struff says. “We talk a lot and he brought many different aspects and shows me new ways to do things. I have improved as a tennis player and as a person as well. He not only helped me find my way on court, he helped me get a clearer version of myself. He taught me commitment and a good mindset.”

Struff endorses Head’s Extreme range of racquets, saying, “They help me control the ball and they give me much more feedback and control in my shots without losing power in my game.”

When Jan-Lennard Struff one day hangs up his racquet, he would like to be remembered as a good person and a player who was a fighter, but most importantly he hopes to have stayed true to his beliefs and himself. What his parents gave him, Struffi is determined to pass on to Henri, and to keep developing his dreams.