Altmaier's Arrival: 'The Challenger Tour Made Me Prepared For Roland Garros'

Peter Staples/ATP Tour

Editor's Note: In his Grand Slam debut, Daniel Altmaier has advanced to the Roland Garros fourth round after defeating Matteo Berrettini. He will face either Pablo Carreno Busta on Monday. This story was first published 2 October.

On Saturday, Daniel Altmaier will play the biggest match of his young career. A first Top 10 encounter awaits the 22-year-old, as he clashes with World No. 8 Matteo Berrettini at Roland Garros.

When Altmaier steps on Court Philippe-Chatrier, it will undoubtedly be a surreal moment. Just 20 months ago, the German had fallen from the FedEx ATP Rankings as he sat on the sidelines, fighting to merely step on a tennis court again. A long and arduous rehab from chronic abdominal and shoulder injuries left him frustrated and in search of a way back.

What a difference a year makes. This week, making his Grand Slam debut, Altmaier has not dropped a set en route to the third round. In fact, he has only conceded one set in total after winning three matches to qualify for the main draw. And on Thursday, he earned the first Top 50 win of his career with a convincing victory over countryman Jan-Lennard Struff.

It's been a dominant display for the comeback kid. What does he believe is the formula for his Roland Garros breakthrough? It all comes back to the hard work and preparation on the ATP Challenger Tour.

"I played a lot of matches in the past weeks and that was the most important thing coming here to Roland Garros," Altmaier said. "I had really tough matches already, beating Musetti after I lost to him the week before. My generation, the young guys, we had very big battles already on the Challenger Tour and that made me already prepared for the matches here." 

Altmaier is not exaggerating. Since the tour restarted following the COVID-19 shutdown, the 22-year-old reached a pair of Challenger semi-finals, facing some of the best clay-court talents on the circuit. Three of those matches came against players who would also go on to win at Roland Garros - Pablo Cuevas, Federico Coria and Lorenzo Giustino - in addition to multiple meetings with surging teenagers Lorenzo Musetti and Carlos Alcaraz.

Playing his first tournament on clay in more than a year and seeking to build momentum in his return to the tour, Altmaier could not have asked for a better preparation.

"We are ready on the Challenger Tour. Carlos [Alcaraz] and Lorenzo [Musetti] are going to the ATP Tour and they are beating guys. We push each other to reach a very good level. That was really important because I think I really learned how to get into those matches and perform well."

Altmaier, who remains in search of his maiden Challenger crown, is in the midst of an impressive 2020 campaign, even with the five-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He owns the second-most match wins on the circuit, posting a 21-11 record, and has reached semi-finals in Ann Arbor, Launceston, Cordenons and Aix-en-Provence. It is a remarkable comeback to the tour for the German. After not having a ranking in early 2019, he rose to a career-high No. 183 in the FedEx ATP Rankings two weeks ago.

In the lead-up to Roland Garros, he admits that his victory over 18-year-old Musetti had the biggest impact. One week after falling 3-6, 2-6 to Italy's breakout star, he would rebound with a straight-sets win of his own.

"I think we had two really good battles, and even though I lost the first one pretty clear, it was not an easy match for him. I was just struggling a little bit mentally and with myself, but then in Cordenons I was really ready physically and mentally. I was able to perform and beat him at the end. I think this guy has really good potential and he's definitely a player to watch."

In 2017, Altmaier broke onto the scene as a budding #NextGenATP prospect himself, reaching the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event in Antalya as an 18-year-old. But one year later, he would only play a combined nine matches as he struggled to stay healthy. The abdominal and shoulder ailments proved to be too much to overcome.

As he continued to plot his comeback in 2020, Altmaier says he used his time in quarantine to work on fitness and build "a more stable" body structure. Under the tutelage of coach Francisco Yunis, that commitment is paying off.

"We started last year in August when I was roughly No. 480 in the world after my injuries. I grew up in Germany playing on clay, so I feel comfortable on it and with Fran in my corner right now, he's stabilizing my game a lot."

While Altmaier has played some big matches in recent weeks, Saturday's encounter with Berrettini will be his biggest yet. He faces the seventh-seeded Italian first on Court Philippe-Chatrier at 11am.

"I know Berrettini because before my long injury we were both playing on the same level. We were around 300 at the same time, playing the Futures, and we know each other really well. It's going to be really interesting. I have nothing to lose and I will get the same preparation like I was getting ready for my qualies matches. We're going to see what is going to happen at the end."