“Important Buddy”: Rising Tennis Star Credits Stan Wawrinka for Reviving His Career

German talent Daniel Altmaier had an enjoyable outing in Paris last week. The 22-year-old achieved his best Majors finish when he reached the fourth round at Roland Garros. Altmaier is a player on the rise, and he considers Stan Wawrinka to a “good buddy” who helped him get past hard times. 

Daniel Altmaier came through the qualifiers at French Open 2020 and reached the second week, which is a massive feat. In a recent interview, the German informed how he first met Stan Wawrinka and how the Swiss stood as a pillar of support during difficult times. 

Stan Wawrinka is an experienced veteran in the ATP circuit. He’s been around since 2002 and would have been a guiding light for several talents who came after him. Likewise, the 35-year-old has helped Altmaier overcome a lot through his timely support.

“He’s an important buddy who helped me through hard times,” Altmaier said. “I met him at the tournament in Geneva. From then on we were in contact and I stayed for a week for training. Then his management contacted me and that’s how I ended up there.”

Stan Wawrinka has played a huge role in Altmaier’s career

Altmaier has been on the ATP tour since 2014 but is yet to secure a maiden ATP title. The road has not been smooth for the German as he endured career-threatening injuries in 2017. But Stan Wawrinka offered his support and helped Altmaier get past in what would’ve been a difficult time for any athlete. 

“Stan played a huge role in my injury because through him I met the right people to help me,” Altmaier mentioned. “I will never forget that in my life. I had a tendon tear in 2017. It lasted four months. Then I had an accident on the hard court. I got stuck and my hip twisted. I played with an imbalance, which started to cause abdominal problems.”

Recovering from the gruesome tendon tear unfortunately led to more injuries and it all piled up at one point for the German. His rankings dipped sharply in the subsequent years, but proper help from experienced professionals came through Wawrinka, which eased the pressure on Altmaier. 

“Stan took me to see doctors with tennis experience,” Altmaier added.  “I needed to understand what was happening to my body and not just let myself be treated. I now know why my body reacts how in a certain situation.”

Right now, Altmaier is buzzing on the ATP tour. He has just come off an excellent Roland Garros campaign and is a part of the draw at the ATP 2020 Cologne Championship.