Diego Dedura-Palomero, a 17-year-old German tennis player, has made history in the world of tennis. The young athlete became the first player born in 2008 to win a match on the ATP Tour, celebrating his achievement with a unique gesture.
The match took place at the BMW Open, where his opponent, Denis Shapovalov, retired when the score was 7-6 (2), 3-0 in favor of Dedura-Palomero. After the victory, the tennis player used his feet to draw a cross on the clay of Munich, then lying down on it.
“I am quite religious” and the celebration was “a gesture of gratitude”, according to statements by Dedura-Palomero to the German news agency DPA.
Diego Dedura-Palomero
The Munich tournament, known for its tradition, has seen few younger players than Dedura-Palomero win a match. Only four tennis players, including Boris Becker at 16 years old in 1984, have achieved this feat.
Dedura-Palomero wasn’t even scheduled to play on Tuesday. After losing in the qualifying round against Alexander Bublik, he got a spot in the main draw due to Gael Monfils’ withdrawal.
“I was waiting all Monday, and then Monfils withdrew. He hugged me and was very kind. I went in and told myself to have fun, to go with the public and play as best as I could,” commented Dedura-Palomero.
Diego Dedura-Palomero
In the next round, Dedura-Palomero will face Zizou Bergs.
In other results on Tuesday, Mariano Navone defeated third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3). Ugo Humbert, fourth seed, defeated Nicolas Jarry with a result of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Francisco Cerundolo, fifth seed, won 6-0, 6-2 against Jan-Lennard Struff. In addition, Yannick Hanfmann, wild card entrant, eliminated sixth seed Jakub Mensik with a score of 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3.
