Meet Daniel Altmaier
If you don’t know much about Daniel Altmaier, you’re not alone. But the German has been making a name for himself at this year’s Roland-Garros and on Saturday, he produced the win of his life as he beat seventh seed Matteo Berrettini 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach the fourth round.
The 22-year-old has been through the mill, physically, with a number of injuries over the past few years and had never even played a Grand Slam match before arriving in Paris. After beating Berrettini, he was interviewed by former player Fabrice Santoro and his character came shining through.
"First of all it's nice to meet you,” he told Santoro. "First time here, first time playing here in Paris, it means a lot to me. I'm happy to be in the fourth round and the tournament continues for me."
Having qualified for the main draw, he’s taken full advantage of his opportunity and on Saturday, he channelled his inner Stanimal, shouting “allez” to encourage himself.
"'Allez' is coming a little bit from my idol Stan Wawrinka,” Altmaier said. “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.”