Team to Watch: Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies

There will be plenty of big names returning to the tour in 2021 and young players making their moves after an abbreviated 2020, but doubles will also take center stage. Baseline is taking a look at which teams to watch in the new year.

When it was announced that the 2020 French Open was going to be held in September due to the global pandemic, only one thing was guaranteed: Expect the unexpected.

After all, the playing conditions in Paris during the fall were going to be a startling contrast to what happens in the late spring. The biting cold was going to play a prominent role, and with few fans in attendance, the conditions were going to present a stern test. It would help to have some recent success at the tournament in order to make it through a grueling two weeks.

Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies proved they were up to the task.

The Germans, who shocked the tennis world as unseeded champions in 2019, defended their title in impressive fashion.

Can that Roland Garros success translate elsewhere in 2021 for the duo?

The rise up the rankings has been rather rapid the past couple of seasons for Krawietz and Mies: They just won their first tour title together early last year indoors at the New York Open. Some solid results between the ATP and Challenger levels over the next few months had them poised for their Grand Slam breakthrough. It took some time to adjust to their new place in the game, but they managed to reach the semifinals at the US Open, then added another title indoors in Antwerp before making their ATP Finals debut.

The season, however, had been a struggle, pre-shutdown and shortly afterward. They only reached one semifinal before Roland Garros, back in February. Entering the French Open with a 1-2 record during the short clay-court stretch, they nevertheless won through in Paris:  Besides being pushed to the brink in the third round, Krawietz and Mies won the rest of their matches in straight sets. And this time, they were able to maintain some momentum after their triumph as they reached the final at the new tour stop in Cologne, Germany.

With consecutive Roland Garros titles, Krawietz and Mies have earned a place among the elite teams in the men’s game. In 2021, surely the goal will be to fend off the inconsistencies that have creeped up during their ascent. Doing that could leave them poised to make their mark outside of Roland Garros.