04 October,2020 11:35 AM IST | Paris | AFP
Daniel Altmaier celebrates winning a point against Matteo Berrettini in Paris on Saturday. PICs/AFP
German qualifier Daniel Altmaier, ranked at 186 in the world, stunned seventh seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy to reach the Roland Garros Last 16 on Saturday with a hat-tip to Stan Wawrinka, Rocky and early morning Zoom calls. Altmaier, 22, triumphed 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, becoming just the fourth man since 2000 to reach the round of 16 on his Grand Slam debut.
Victory also means an unexpected financial windfall for the German who is guaranteed to make at least $221,400 by reaching the Last 16 having earned just $173,600 in his entire six-year professional career. It's been a long, tough road for Altmaier who says three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka is his "great role model". A succession of injuries to his back, shoulder as well as hip, caused by a freak slip on a tennis ball on a hard court which sidelined him for most of 2018, put his career, which had shown some promise with a quarter-final run at Antalya in 2017, on hold. Just over 12 months ago, his ranking had slumped to 515.
For Altmaier, the help of Wawrinka has been invaluable and he paid tribute to the 2015 Roland Garros champion after the win on Saturday, pressing an index finger to his temple to mark the breakthrough in the style of the veteran Swiss star. "He also helped me a lot when I was injured," said Altmaier who has an Ukrainian father, a Russian mother and has hit with Roger Federer. "Having a friendly relationship with such a top player who has achieved an incredible amount in our sport is really something special."
He added on Saturday: "When I was watching him, he always says 'Allez, Stan.' I copy him a little bit because I like to say, 'Allez, Dan'. He has been a huge reason why I'm healthy now."
Altmaier has been working with noted coach Argentine coach Francisco Yunis for a year and worked hard on his fitness during training sessions. It has been tough but rewarding. "If he had done our training programme, even Rocky would have collapsed," Altmaier told Eurosport of his brutal workouts under Yunis.
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