CIUTADELLA DE MENORCA, April 1, 2026
“The wind, the wind, the heavenly child” is a famous quote from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale ‘Hansel and Gretel.’ Anyone, who has ever stood on a tennis court in strong winds knows just how exhausting such conditions can be. Suddenly the ball no longer travels where it is intended, serves are blown off course by the next gust, and even the simplest shots become uncertain. Instead of playing only against an opponent, players find themselves battling the elements.
That was exactly the scene during the opening days of the Open Menorca. Gusting, constantly swirling winds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph) made proper professional tennis nearly impossible at times. As a result, the matches scheduled for Tuesday could not even begin, and qualifying for the second edition of the ATP Challenger 100 tournament was only completed on Wednesday.
“You really have to be one hundred percent focused on every rally,” Denis Yevseyev said when describing the challenge of playing in such conditions. “It feels more like a ‘fun game’ where you try to pull off a few trick shots. I hope it calms down over the next few days so that we can play normal tennis again.”
For Spain’s Miguel Damas, his opening match on the Balearic island was unlike anything he had experienced before. “This was the windiest day I have ever played tennis in,” the 26-year-old said after his three-set victory over Jordan’s Abdullah Shelbayh.
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The German-speaking players also struggled in the stormy conditions and were effectively blown out of the tournament. Diego Dedura, who had arrived in Menorca after his South American swing and a second title on the ITF World Tennis Tour, lost in the second round of qualifying to US-American Dali Blanch. Christoph Negritu also failed to reach the main draw, although he remains in the doubles competition.
Austria’s Sebastian Ofner, seeded second in Menorca, was forced to retire from his opening-round match against Italy’s Raul Brancaccio after losing the first set because of a shoulder injury.
Despite the difficult circumstances, however, all of the players agreed on one point. “It is very challenging to play in these wind conditions, but in the end the conditions are the same for everyone,” said Spain’s Inaki Montes-De La Torre.
