Altmaier’s adventure in Madrid: ‘The tournament starts now’

Of lucky loseto play in the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open. Daniel Altmaier is living in the Spanish capital one of the best weeks of his entire career. The 24-year-old German began playing the tournament as number 92 in the ATP ranking and thanks to his good performances he already occupies virtually 61st place, which could continue to rise.

Altmaier’s story is priceless. And it is that he started playing the qualy, where he was beaten in the second round by Yuri Rodionov. However, the drop in Pablo Carreno it gave him a chance to break into the main draw, as well as occupying the Spaniard’s top seed spot. Which meant playing the second round directly. He got his first victory in a Masters 1000 against his compatriot Oscar Otteand then also defeat Hanfmann already James Munar

“I feel good. I came here with confidence as I had a great Challenger in Sarasota. In Munich the conditions were very difficult for me, I only arrived 12 hours before the United States and here I arrived well. In my second round of qualifying I didn’t feel very good, something happened to me that made me feel very weak. I was able to recover since I had in 1 day and a half and I went to see if I could have the opportunity “Altmaier said after beating the Spaniard.

The German player won just two weeks ago the Sarasota Challenger. In fact, he has 7 titles on this circuit to his credit, which he combines with ATP tournaments. And it is that his good results in Madrid are the result of great growth in the last year. “I think I’m more stable as a player. My team is connected and they are very good people who help me in my day to day. I have created a strong team. With my coach, Alberto Mancini, and my second coach, who is German, we have a very good connection.”he confessed.

Alberto Mancini and he joined their paths at the end of last year and have formed a good team to follow their goals. The former world number 8 has coached other players such as Fabio Fognini o Guillermo Coria. “He is moving a lot of things in my team and structuring it better, which we can see on the track. He knew who he was and his story is very interesting, ending his career so soon and winning two Masters 1000s. That is something that gives me experience, that he had great success. Alberto asks me for consistency and variety. I’m starting to see more space on the court, I move better and make a better choice of shots. On land I think I feel more comfortable”.

Altmaier had a great adventure in Roland Garros in the year 2020. In his first participation in a Grand Slam and being the 186th in the world at the age of 22, Altmaier obtained his first victory, his first victory against a top 50, then against a top 10 by beating Matthew Berrettini and his first time in the round of 16 in a major. However, Pablo Carreño stopped his path: “I’m a better player, of course. You cannot compare me to what I was at Roland Garros 3 years ago because I have developed a lot as a player. I’ve been through a lot on and off the track and I think now I have more experience and I can handle situations better.”

It could be considered that in Madrid he is having some luck with the team, but he admits that there are no easy opponents. “We can say that I have had a lucky draw or not so strong opponents. Hanffman beat Musetti and Munar defeated another player easily. You should never forget both parts. This is what makes tennis so competitive. If there is belief, you can beat anyone and this is what we are seeing now, as well as on the Challenger circuit.”.

This year, before Madrid, the German had a balance of 1 win against 8 losses. Now, that statistic has improved by 6 victories, in addition to being able to add the seventh if he manages to defeat Borna Coric in the quarterfinals. “I think the tournament starts now for me. I have gained a lot of confidence in many games. If I didn’t say that, I wouldn’t jump on the track. I have to show consistent tennis and mental strength. I always say that I don’t chase points or money. My main goal is to consistently play together with my team. I believe in the progress of my game I am beginning to connect very well”said.