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Denmark's top-ranked doubles player Frederik Nielsen fought his way to a third ATP Tour title, at the 2019 BMW Open. Nielsen and Germany's Tim Pütz, playing in their first tournament together, upstaged their higher-ranked opponents, India's Divij Sharan and Brazil's Marcelo Demoliner, 6-4 6-2 in the finals.
Nielsen, a former Wimbledon doubles champion, had last won an ATP title in Chennai in 2014 with long-time partner Johan Brunstörm.
The win in Munich is especially important for Nielsen, who pointed out in the post-match interview that he had put in major work towards improving his game this year, with particular focus on the clay court events.
While the competition might not have been top-class, the title run is still a big boost for Nielsen's prospects for the remainder of the clay court season. The Dane has struggled to find a regular doubles partner ever since parting ways with Brunstörm and his win alongside Pütz on their main draw debut should give the duo a lot of confidence.
Nielsen has sporadically upstaged, with a variety of partners, many a big name in doubles over the years. However, it's consistency that has been lacking in his game. His inability to find a regular partner has also had a major role to play. As a result, it is all the more important for him to build on his win with Pütz.
The duo would be looking to build on their win with another title at the Open du Pays d'Aix in France this week. They are the top-seeded pair in the draw and a win here will hold them in good stead heading into the other big tournaments on the clay, whilst also fetching them valuable raking points.
Nielsen looked to be in good touch in Munich right through the course of the week. He had also reached the finals at the Grand Prix Hassan II earlier last month, falling just short of winning the title.
These recent performances will ensure a return to the top-40 in the world rankings, and if Nielsen can kick on from here, he might manage to get seeded in time for Wimbledon, where he will be defending a semi-final showing from last year.
