In 2024, Justin Engel climbed more than 1,000 places in the ATP world rankings, won four smaller tournaments and became the youngest player to celebrate his first victory on the ATP tour since Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz. No wonder that the 17-year-old German tennis talent is far from reaching the goal of his dreams.
Justin Engel recently learned that things can’t always go uphill at the Challenger tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, when he surprisingly failed in round one against the American Alfredo Perez (number 834 in the world rankings).
However, the mere fact that the narrow defeat in his first professional appearance outside of Europe can be seen as a small disappointment underlines the status that Engel has already achieved in 2024. This is probably also due to the fact that the DTB youngster is open about his big ambitions.
“I want to be number 1 in the world!” quotes the “kicker” Engel, who is not openly communicating this goal for the first time. He knows that he has what it takes and is training very hard to put his words into action, Engel continued.
Alcaraz, Sinner and Engel as the new “Big Three”?
However, he is by no means aloof, but “still a completely normal guy who has big goals,” emphasizes the right-hander.
For 2025, the German hopeful is aiming to make it into the top 200 in the world (“That would be so nice”), but in the long term he wants nothing less than to become part of a new tennis era.
“That’s what the sport of tennis needs. We need people like Djokovic, Nadal or Federer again,” says Engel, referring to the trio that shaped the sport for decades. With the 23-year-old world number one Jannik Sinner from Italy and the 21-year-old Alcaraz, there are now two players ready to fill the big shoes; he himself hopes that he can “perhaps be the third”.
However, it is clear to Engel that it will be a long, rocky road until then. Although he would like to celebrate success early on, he is aware that “some people make it sooner and others a little later. My ultimate goal is to become number 1. The other thing is secondary,” the top talent emphasizes again .
Incidentally, Engel, who has recently been trained by Philipp Kohlschreiber, can take the next step on this path on Monday evening when he wants to achieve his first success outside of Europe at the Challenger event in Manzanillo.
