Daniel Altmaier has built up a reputation as a big game player, and he has the arsenal to prove it.
On Saturday he will re -test his flair on the upset when he defending Rolex Shanghai Masters champion Jannik Sinner.
Altmaier died in their most recent meeting in Roland Garros in 2023, and a year earlier he pushed him to five sets at the US Open. These are no abnormalities for 27-year-old German, they are the blueprint of his game.
“I see myself that I can play tennis against everyone on tours. So that’s why I feel that I am dangerous against that [top] Boys, ‘Altmaier, the number 49 player in the PIF ATP ranking, atptour.com in Shanghai told.’ I find my tactics, the way to play, the way to hurt people at the highest level. So I also want to play constantly. I think that’s the thing: I can adjust my game, I can see the weaknesses and other opponents. That is also what you play for. ”
Altmaier’s figures in 2025 rose his conviction: he took Taylor Fritz down in the first round of Roland Garros being fifth top 10 wins and produced an exciting five-set triumph over former world no. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open.
Two large stages, two scalp of heavyweights. Now, to sinner in the Italian’s opening match as a defending champion in Shanghai, Altmaier arrives in the air with the smell of another upset.
“I really love these challenges, I play for that,” said Altmaier, who is 1-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2head series with Sinner. “I have already played some brilliant matches this year. Taylor Fritz, last week [Denis] Shapovalov … I posted them all there [at the top] If they have a great day. They are really elite, they are the best players. I think that’s what I’m really looking forward to and I think it will be an exciting match. ”
Much of the danger of Altmaier lies in his backhand with one hand, a shot with both stitch and subtlety. Against Sinner, he will need every us of that unpredictability to keep the world no. 2 restless. His deadly Down-Line Backhand will make it risky for Sinner to give up too much court in the search in for Forehand.
“I think he also has the opportunity to adjust his game,” Altmaier said about Sinner. “And that is one of the elements of my game … I have several different ones. I work a lot on the variety on the backhand side.
“I have the slice, I have the backhand that I can play flat, the one that I can play a little more with top spin, I can change direction. I think One-Randers actually have a little more variation than backhand with two hands.”
After overcoming qualification Tristan Schoolkate in his Shanghai opener, Altmaier improved his record from 2025 to 17-23 Record in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. It is a steady rebound only four weeks after he provided a leg injury that forced him to withdraw from his third round collision with Alex de Minaur in New York.
“Tokyo was my first tournament back after my small injury after the US Open, so I’m glad I have a two-set victory here that achieves some very good tennis here,” said Altmaier. “I am happy with the consistency I recently received. There were many challenges all season. The season is long and I learn to learn a lot from this year, which is a crucial part in my career.”
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