Struffy

The German Struff can be really damn tough to play when he’s feeling the ball well..

And that’s pretty much the case at the start of this year! When I look back at his losses after the fact, I tell myself he didn’t lose to nobodies, and generally the matches were tight as well. I’m not forgetting his strong end to the 2025 season either, and so that gives us a Struff who’s been on a real upward curve for quite some time now — either he’s at the peak of his form and will drop off a bit, or he’s going to pull off something big and make the most of it! He was really close to beating Bublik twice in the last tournaments and he’s genuinely scary when he plays like that..

Bergs isn’t really in the same shape right now, he was diminished in Doha and then apparently had eye problems in Dubai, which helps put his losses into perspective even if, in the end, he hasn’t been great for several months already. Sometimes you feel he’s on fire, super motivated and ready to beat anyone! And sometimes, like now, you feel he’s a bit flat and nervous, it’s clearly not the best version of Bergs that’s coming into this tournament. That said, it’s a Masters 1000, he’ll be all in like everyone else, and if his body gives him a bit of a break he’s got every chance. I’m just saying his current momentum is not good, unlike Struff’s.

We only have one head-to-head to chew on, in the 2022 Davis Cup, which Struff won, but it’s hard to draw much from that. I’d say a very good Struff is just a pain for everyone given his style of play, the match kind of depends on him, and since Bergs isn’t playing very well..