Philipp Kohlschreiber on Justin Engel

Coaches Corner

Coach Kohlschreiber on Engel: 'He brings the power, I bring the knowledge'

17-year-old #NextGenATP star will compete in Mallorca this week

Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for BMW & Breakpoint Images/Terra Wortmann Open Former Top 20 star Philipp Kohlschreiber has coached 17-year-old Justin Engel since last October. By Andy West

Philipp Kohlschreiber could hardly have chosen a more exciting player with whom to kick-start his coaching career than Justin Engel.

Last October, Engel became the first player born in 2007 or later to win an ATP Tour match with a first-round win in Almaty. Kohlschreiber joined the 17-year-old’s team soon after and Engel has since become the second-youngest player since 1990 to win a tour-level match (excluding Davis Cup) on all three surfaces. The youngest? Engel’s idol, Rafael Nadal.

“I’ve been lucky enough, I would say,” Kohlschreiber told ATPTour.com at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, where Engel competed in qualifying. “He is my first experience from the other side. He’s very determined. He’s very focused on the hard work, maybe sometimes a little bit too much, so I’m also here to slow him down sometimes and don’t rush things.

“But on the other side he’s just great. You don’t have to push him, he’s always there, he gives 100 per cent, so that’s a very good aspect to work with.”

Engel certainly seems to relish the big stage. He has competed as a wild card at home ATP Tour events in Munich, Hamburg and Stuttgart this year, notching three wins in the process. On Monday, he will rise to a career-high No. 219 in the PIF ATP Rankings before he takes on his fellow #NextGenATP star Learner Tien in the first round at the Mallorca Championships presented by ecotrans Group.

“He is a young player and I try to help him to learn as fast as possible the things we all went through,” said Kohlschreiber of Engel, who is also up to ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah ahead of his wild card appearance in Mallorca. “He’s also a great guy. He loves tennis, he loves the fans, he loves being at big tournaments, which at the moment for us is still a very big bonus.

“We still have to make the run through the Challenger Tour, but if he has the chance to play big tournaments, he really enjoys it and also the connection and the vibes from the fans. I don’t want to say he’s a ‘show maker’, but he loves the attention and to give something back for the fans.”

Watch Engel reach his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final in Stuttgart:

For some, a rookie coach may not be the obvious choice for a rookie player. Yet Kohlschreiber, an eight-time ATP Tour champion and former World No. 16 who works alongside his charge's father and long-time coach Horst Engel, nonetheless has plenty of hard-earned ATP Tour experience to pass on and he is certainly qualified to identify the teenagers standout attributes .

“He started very early on working his body in the gym, so he is physically very strong,” said Kohlschreiber. “He’s pushing the limits every day on the court. He plays for many hours, and he has the ability to create speed off both sides and on the serve. That’s how modern tennis is. You need to have power to finish points and a good serve, and I’m very happy that he brings these good things to the table.

“On the other side, I think it’s now my job to combine his power with a little bit of strategy, shot selection, and also toughness in the point. Also [it is important to] ensure it’s not too easy to play against him. I think it’s a great combination. He brings the power, and I bring the knowledge from a lot of tennis matches myself in trying to improve his thinking on the court.”

Engel is one of a trio of German 17-year-olds to have made headlines in recent months. In April in Munich, Diego Dedura became the first player born in 2008 or later to win an ATP Tour match, while Max Schoenhaus reached the Roland Garros boys’ final earlier this month. Kohlschreiber is eager to keep Engel’s feet on the ground when it comes to the hype triggered by his impressive recent performances, but he also wants to encourage his charge to showcase his natural on-court charisma.

“He’s really still 17,” said Kohlschreiber. “He shows me his phone and says, ‘Hey, I have new followers on Instagram’ and stuff like this. I smile and say, ‘Great, keep pushing and they will follow you more’. You can see he is really still young with these things, but he’s handling everything really well. Like I said, he’s one of these guys who really enjoys playing on big courts, also against big names, but he has respect.

“He gets nervous like everybody else, but he really enjoys and tries to take on the big stages. I think that’s very good, because he’s not afraid to show that he’s a great guy on court, even if there are many spectators. I think that’s also a good step for future, to play on bigger stages and get the energy from the spectators.”

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