After a 5-set thriller, a match against one of the world’s best? You have to take it as it comes! Daniel Altmaier enters the 2nd round of the French Open, but probably with mixed feelings.
He can beat great opponents in Paris, but the man waiting for him on Wednesday made a very confident impression at the start. As a result, our bookmakers are clearly positioning themselves against the German!
In my Altmaier Tsitsipas betting tip, I want to find out whether the underdog has a chance after all, and I’m talking about his service game. So I’ll tell you why I’m betting on a tiebreak in this match
In the 2nd round against the world number 9 – again! Daniel Altmaier is actually experiencing deja vu these days in Paris, but he certainly has fond memories of last year.
In 2023, he achieved a real feat, sensationally defeating Jannik Sinner in five sets. While Jannik Sinner is now on the verge of taking over the top spot in the world rankings, Altmaier is not really making any headway.
He is at home in the top 80 and actually wants to be at least among the best 50 in the world. After all, he has already made a successful start at Roland Garros. One that he had to fight incredibly hard for
He was already leading 7-5, 6-4 against Laslo Djere before familiar mistakes crept in. Suddenly the score was 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 5-7 and the match tie-break had to be decided. Altmaier found his nerve again and won in the end in a manner that could not have been more exciting.
Both players gave each other 15 break chances, and the match didn’t really deserve a loser. The German only emerged victorious after midnight, having been on court for more than five hours.
Is that the best way to prepare for an encounter with Stefanos Tsitsipas? When Altmaier won against Jannik Sinner a year ago, he was able to come out on top in the first round.
For our bookmakers, there is little doubt who will prevail on Wednesday anyway, as Tsitsipas is relatively clearly in front with average odds of 1.05 to 9.50.
No wonder, as the Greek is back from his form slump. In Monte Carlo, he came out on top and even managed to put the man of the year, Jannik Sinner, in his place. He also made it to the final in Barcelona.
But Tsitsipas would not have been Tsitsipas if he had been able to maintain this consistent phase for long. The strong matches came to an end again in Madrid, with the Greek losing out to Thiago Monteiro right at the start
And Rome? In the Masters in the Eternal City, he steamrollered his way through against Jan-Lennard Struff, ultimately losing to Nicolas Jarry in the round of the best eight.
It is well known that Stefanos Tsitsipas always has two faces and often shows both at the same tournament. The last time he was eliminated before the round of 16 at Roland Garros was in 2018.
Incidentally, he has played against a German here in Paris three times in his career, winning all three duels. Not a bad omen for Wednesday and at the same time a more than great challenge for Daniel Altmaier!
My Altmaier Tsitsipas tip
Can Daniel Altmaier repeat the sensation of 2023? Last year he sensationally eliminated Jannik Sinner, now it should be Stefanos Tsitsipas. After the five sets against Laslo Djere, he probably needed a lot of regeneration.
Tsitsipas, on the other hand, finished his first round quickly, clay suits him this season, at least most of the time. Nevertheless, he can never completely rule out slip-ups. As two strong players will be facing each other on Wednesday, I think the German will be able to keep up, at least in the short term. My Altmaier Tsitsipas tip is therefore:
A tiebreak is in the cards!
