Engel is in Kazakhstan’s largest city this week thanks to the unexpected opportunity afforded to him by tournament organizers. The 17-year-old originally had plans to play qualifying at a Challenger in Italy, before finding out he would instead make his tour-level debut with a main-draw wild card at the ATP 250 event. Given how it all played out, Almaty will forever hold a special place in the German’s heart.
“I was speechless, I mean a wild card in an ATP event just like that. Totally random but I was pretty happy,” he says with a grin. “All the facilities here, the hotel in Almaty, it’s been unbelievable. I told my dad already that I want to stay here for two weeks, but of course we need to go back home after. But I’ll try to play this tournament next year because it’s so nice here.”
His father, Horst, as you might have picked up on, is a significant influence to the teenager’s tennis trajectory. As son Justin tells it, the elder Engel reacquainted himself with the sport by spending ample time with countrywoman Anca Barna on the court.
“His parents didn’t want him to do professional tennis so he got a ‘normal’ job. He built big, wide tents for the festivals. After 10 years, he trained with Anca a lot, hitting balls. One day, she told my dad, ‘we are practicing all day, every day. Why don’t you want to be my coach?’ So then my father coached Anca when she was 800[th in the world rankings] and helped bring her to number 43. That’s his story.”
