Daniel Altmaier earned one of the biggest upsets of this year's Roland Garros on Thursday when he stunned eighth seed Jannik Sinner in five gruelling sets over the court of five hours and 26 minutes.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the 24-year-old German.
His Idols Were Roger Federer & Stan Wawrinka
When fans watch Altmaier play, they will quickly notice his one-handed backhand. It is fitting that his idols growing up were Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.
“Thank you for everything! You inspired everyone around the world 🌎 and been a role model not only as an athlete but even more as a person!” Altmaier wrote on Instagram when Federer retired.
At Roland Garros in 2020, a journalist asked the German about saying “Allez!” during matches and Altmaier explained it has to do with Wawrinka.
“When I was watching him, he always say, 'Allez, Stan.' I a little bit copy because I like it to say, 'Allez, Dan.' That's little bit the connection,” he said.
He Enjoys Fishing
One of Altmaier’s favourite hobbies is fishing. He mostly does it with his father at home.
“I think most people probably think that you just go fishing and wait until something happens,” Altmaier told ATPTour.com this year. “I think our fishing is different because it has a little bit of strategy. It depends on the weather and how active the fish is.
“I would say it’s kind of like professional fishing because my dad really is obsessed with those things and knows exactly about the temperature, the weather conditions, how high the water is in rivers, for example. All those things make a big difference. I find that really interesting and it’s totally something else to what we do in tennis. It’s something fantastic.”
Altmaier Has Met Celebrities Including Anthony Joshua
Altmaier met Anthony Joshua after he fought Alexander Povetkin at Wembley Stadium in 2018. During his Roland Garros run in 2020, he recalled the meeting.
“It was really interesting because he mentioned to me fight each second,” Altmaier said. “For us it's a privilege, we can do a hobby or what we enjoy the most into our life. I think working hard, enjoying the process, was one of the advices he gave me.”
The German’s father, Jurij, was an amateur boxer.
Earlier this year, Altmaier met music megastar Maluma in Miami.
Roland Garros Has Been Key In His Career
Altmaier competed in qualifying at a major for the first time at Roland Garros in 2020. That year he earned his way into the main draw and did not look back, advancing to the fourth round. In the third round, he upset then-World No. 8 Matteo Berrettini.
The performance propelled Altmaier from No. 186 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings to No. 122. The following year, he cracked the world’s Top 100 for the first time.
Clay Is His Best Surface
The best results of Altmaier’s career have come on clay, the surface he grew up playing on in Germany.
The 24-year-old has won six of his seven ATP Challenger Tour titles on clay and his tour-level winning percentage on it (44.4%) is better than any other surface (Hard - 16.7% and Grass - 40%).
Altmaier has reached two ATP Tour semi-finals (2021 Umag and Kitzbuhel) and one ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final (2023 Madrid). All those tournaments have come on clay.