'Allez' is coming a little bit from Stan. When I was watching him, he always say, 'Allez, Stan'. I like to copy him because I like it to say, 'Allez, Dan'
Saturday 3 October 2020 17:42, UK
He has idolised Stan Wawrinka for years but now Daniel Altmaier has been able to show us his own heavy artillery on the red dirt of Roland Garros.
The German was already grafting on the clay courts of Paris, getting dirty in the dust, and fighting like a man in a hurry through qualifying to reach the main draw.
Now there, with his until-now largely unknown name in the main-draw mix with the rich and famous, the 22-year-old is proving as stubbornly hard to remove.
The 186th-ranked player has dropped just one set in the six matches he has played, with the latest humbling of seventh-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini just as glorious and crisp as the autumnal Parisian blue skies.
He has fought back from injuries and developed a thick tennis skin on the sport's tough lower-level circuits. His participation in Paris was in doubt until late, when he was cleared to play after picking up an injury the preceding week.
Now Altmaier is here, he has been making quite an impact on his French Open debut. Not only does he have a single-handed backhand reminiscent of his hero, Stan Wawrinka, but he is even starting to celebrate his wins like the Swiss three-time Grand Slam champion.
"My idol is Stan Wawrinka already for many years now," revealed Altmaier. "At the end I had this mentality of trying to win the match. Also when Stan is switching on, it's just a mentality which is changing to win a match. I think this a little bit of a connection.
"'Allez' is coming a little bit from Stan. When I was watching him, he always say, 'Allez, Stan'. I like to copy him because I like it to say, 'Allez, Dan'.
"I look up to him. I look up [to] the way he plays tennis. I'm very thankful for him because he has helped me a lot also through my injuries. He's a huge help which is why I'm healthy at the moment."
Born to a Ukrainian father, and Russian mother, Altmaier admits to be one of the lucky few to not have to worry too much about his finances. He has already earned in the region of £200,000 by reaching the last 16 here. His career earnings up to the point of arriving in Paris were around £135,000.
Altmaier endured an injury nightmare for two years, suffering a whole heap of injuries, including shoulder, hip and abdominal problems.
But he is thankful to the input of businesses such as Sky and fellow athletes in helping him believe in his talent.
Altmaier and Sky have been a partnership for four years now with Sky Sports Scholar mentor Adam Smith, Sky's Head of Boxing Development and commentator, paying particular attention to his progress.
The German is thankful to two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, and multiple world champion David Haye for helping inspire him on his journey.
"I was able to see the background of this company, meeting Anthony Joshua, who is an unbelievable star worldwide, to have the contact to them. David Haye, I had really long talks with and he is a huge tennis fan," said Altmaier.
"There were a lot of people who I was just able to speak to. Everyone was able to give me some advice or help me through difficult times. That's how I was really able to also enjoy my setbacks. They are part of the game. That's why I can enjoy these moments right here more because I was preparing for this.
"Also, people already were preparing me for this. The right mentality is helping hugely to have success in sport or even other businesses, investing money."
Altmaier has been a regular on the Challenger Tour, but when the coronavirus pandemic caused a lockdown of the tennis season, some players might have taken the opportunity to take a little bit of time out. Not Altmaier. He used the time to rebuild his body through the use of a strength and conditioning coach based in Argentina.
"It's a funny story regarding how I got fit during the pandemic. I was working via Zoom with my coach, Esteban from Argentina," said Altmaier. "There were a group of players, including (Pablo) Cuevas. We worked 11 weeks basically in a room, every day, five, six times a week.
"Sometimes he was waking up at 5am to give me my schedule, push me through my sessions. It meant a lot to me. Yeah, we got paid off by the results, I think."
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