Roland Garros. He trained for Zoom, has ties to Argentina and has already earned more money than in the rest of his career: the story of Daniel Altmaier

He is German, has Russian blood and an Argentine accent. Structured, revolutionary and friendly. He was born in Kempen, a city that is about 30 kilometers from Düsseldorf. Her dad is Ukrainian and her mother is Russian. And she trains with a group of specialists from here on the way back.Francisco Yunis is his coach and Esteban Giménez is the leader of a team made up of Matías Rizzo and Mariano Gaute, for the duties of physical preparation.

An ocean away, the 22-year-old and 186th world-wide man ran, jumped and sweated shut up in an apartment: he knew something big was going to happen. His hope was installed on a video call screen, a must-have classic of the pandemic. “I was working through zoom with my physical trainer from Argentina, with Esteban. We basically worked 11 weeks in one room, every day, five, six times a week. He sometimes woke up at 5 in the morning, because of the time difference, to encourage me, to push me through my sessions. It meant a lot to me. And here are the results, “says Daniel Altmaier, one of the faces that refresh tennis. A daring who is walking around Paris.

No beer, no vodka, no wine: Daniel is only interested in tennis. He has just hit the same table as Novak Djokovic, the world number 1, at the same desk as Rafael Nadal, the best of all time on clay. He leaves Italian Matteo Berrettini (7th seeded) on the way, 6-2, 7-6 (5) and 6-4. And this Monday he will face Pablo Carreño Busta, a specialist on brick dust.

“The ranking is not going to make me win the game. I am going to have to win by making a difference on the court. I do not know him and that is an inconvenience, my coach will have to work to see how he plays and what weaknesses he has to determine the tactics “, confesses the Spanish. It is that the German is a true stranger. Newcomer, coming from the classification and with the peculiarity that he barely gave up a set in one of the matches in the antechamber of the main draw. It hits him high, hard and far.

The German had earned $ 173,639 in his entire career. Paris opens the window to another reality: it is more than he achieved in his entire life, with 189,000 euros already insured. And it’s not just about tickets: he’s in the round of 16 at Roland Garros, in an atypical season that launches an invitation: everyone can play. And win. The world of the coronavirus transformed everything. What seemed impossible yesterday happens.

“Tennis is making a big change right now. I was feeling this already on the Challenger tour, even on the Future tour. Literally everyone can beat everyone right now. Physically everyone is getting stronger. Now I see players. smarter, more disciplined. You can see this in recent Grand Slam tournaments. Especially here at Roland Garros, tennis really changed after the coronavirus stop. And I’m happy to be one of them showing their skills right now Others are also making a fantastic effort. It helps that tennis can see new faces, enjoy tough battles of unknown players, “describes the new world. The new normal. It is not the only case: there are two other stories.

Italian Jannik Sinner, 19, and American Sebastian Korda (20) also held on to the second week. A situation that had not happened since 1994, when there were four in that instance: Andrea Gaudenzi, Patrick Rafter (enormous talent), Mikael Tillström and Hendrik Dreekmann. Jannik Sinner (75th) eliminated Federico Coria. Now, the 19-year-old will face German Alexander Zverev, seeded 6th. And Korda, Petr’s son, will have today the impossible rival: Rafael Nadal.

But the boy on the cover is Altmaier, who has his side of the Argentine heart. With Yunis he has exchanged concepts since August of last year, when he was traumatized by injuries and collapsed in 480th place in the world. “I grew up in Germany playing on brick dust, so I have always felt comfortable on this surface, especially with Fran by my side. Thanks to him I gave stability to my tennis. I added basic learning and built a very solid game on clay “, describes the boy who prefers long balls, away from the vertigo of the net.

Two years without holding a racket, in a fledgling career, is a blow to the heart. Shoulder injuries, hip injuries and muscle discomfort plagued him for long periods. Until in 2019 he made a click of confidence. And in the most complex year of our lives a smile is allowed. He laughs and not just for the camera. “It’s my first time on this court (Philippe-Chatrier) and playing in Paris, I am delighted to be in the fourth round. My coach and I have been working very hard to be here, and although I have been fighting with some injuries, I am very happy that the recovery is at Roland Garros. Before qualifying, he was suffering an injury so he wasn’t sure if he would be able to play. I hope that the crowd and the television audience have enjoyed, as I want to entertain. “He is one of the young people who not only play, they approach tennis precisely with that concept: as entertainment in times of pain.

During games, speak. He talks to himself, like other greats. But he does not blame himself for his entire life like Andy Murray, who is usually angry with his every slip. He prefers the second most famous Swiss. He has him as an idol and, in addition, he copies some gestures. Not the technicians, that of giving encouragement. “The ‘Allez’ comes from my idol Stan Wawrinka. When I looked at it, he would always say, ‘Allez, Stan!’. I copy it a little bit because I like to say, ‘Allez, Dan!’. That is the connection. I like to make an effort, to be my best friend with myself on the court “, he reflects. And he seduces from the psychological work, he is inclined to work with professionals who can transform his head. Something like convincing himself that he can touch the sky if he does. proposes.

“The right mindset is helping me enormously to be successful in sports or even other businesses, like investing money in the right places. The mindset has a direct relationship with the success of people,” explains the young man who looks like an adult. Play with your head. Play, think and destroy theories. German, Russian and Argentine: the perfect mix for a daring racket.