Daniel Altmaier lost to Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the ATP Hamburg 2024 main draw.
After the match, the German was visibly frustrated, which was clearly visible when he hit the ball over the stands. In the interview afterwards, he also vented his frustration at a change to the tournament rules that he found incomprehensible.
But Altmaier also had some good things to say about the tournament, especially for the organizers and the young audience
Altmaier raves about the young crowd: “Exactly what players want “
The Hamburg Open is one of Altmaier’s favorite weeks on the tour, which visibly made him a little nervous at the start:
“I don’t think the start was good, I was a bit nervous. I don’t think I got into the game so well at the start.”
He put up a strong fight at first, but ultimately in vain: “I fought back quite well in the second set, and then in the third set, I think at the start of the third set, I didn’t take the momentum from 0-30 with me. Then a few simple mistakes.”
“I’ve said from the beginning that Hamburg is my favorite week in Germany. It’s been that way since I was a kid. I feel very much at home here in the city. I’ve also experienced many wonderful moments here. Not necessarily the most successful weeks of my career, but very nice moments off the pitch,” said the 25-year-old.
Altmaier continued: “So I have a special connection to this tournament on a personal level. When you know you’re going to a tournament and you’re looking forward to it, it feels really good. ”
Despite his performance and the defeat, he was very positive about the tournament and the spectators. “I also think the crowd here is very engaged. And I think the crowd here is very young, which is not usual in Germany.”
“When you play in Munich or Halle, it’s a bit different. When you sign balls for what feels like 300 children here, then of course you notice that. I think it’s very important that we have tennis fans in the next generation, and I can feel that here in Hamburg,” he said enthusiastically.
“I’m happy when the stadium is full, especially with young people, because that’s exactly what I want as a player. I spoke to the kids today and told them that I didn’t play well. I was annoyed on the pitch, but I still tried to win the game somehow.”
He wanted to get that message across: “I think that was the message I was able to get across today: Never give up, no matter how uncomfortable you feel or how much you know the potential you have.”
“I think that’s what I was able to show on the court and I think the kids appreciated that and said, ‘Good fight’. I also heard some comments that motivated me. That’s what I wanted to achieve at least, even if I couldn’t really show it as a player. ”
Altmaier on the rule change: “It was strange “
As of this year, the Hamburg Open has new organizers, as Tennium now hosts the event, but Daniel Altmaier was very satisfied with the organization of the tournament.
“For me as a player, not much has changed (with the new organizers, note). I think Tenium does an incredibly good job of organizing the tournament, as you could see in Barcelona, where I played this year, and also in Buenos Aires. To be honest, it’s a very experienced team in terms of organization.”
However, there is one thing that has attracted particular attention at this tournament. The spectators move around a lot during the match, but under the new rules this is now allowed – rather unusual in tennis.
Something that Daniel Altmaier also noticed and found a little strange during the match: “I think so, definitely. I find it a bit unusual, especially as a server, that people move or stand in front of you.”
This is even more disturbing due to another circumstance: “It does make a difference because there is no dress code. If everyone was dressed in black, you wouldn’t see it, but there are people wearing orange or white T-shirts, which means you can’t see the ball very well.”
Definitely a change: “It’s different. You have to get used to it, but because it was the first time, you noticed it more than before, which I wasn’t aware of. I think Cobolli would say the same, that it was a bit strange at first. “
