Daniel Altmaier gave the German tennis men a 1-0 lead in the Davis Cup relegation match in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The world number 49 won the first individual. after a tremor in the first set with 7:6 (7:5), 6:2 against the Bosnian outsider Nerman Fatic.
In the subsequent second singles in Mostar, Yannick Hanfmann faces Bosnian number one Damir Dzumhur. The decision as to whether Germany manages to stay in the world group will be made on Sunday. Three points from a maximum of five games are necessary for this.
Altmaier’s tension was noticeable in the opening singles in front of around 800 spectators in temperatures of a hot 28 degrees. Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff had canceled due to injuries, so the 24-year-old competed as German number one. Against the world number 218. Fatic he was the clear favorite. He had to win so as not to make Hanfmann’s task even more difficult.
Altmaier twice shortly before losing the set
The main reason Altmaier had problems was because he didn’t show his best tennis. From his point of view, at 4:5, the Kempen player was on the verge of losing the set, just like in the tiebreak, with his opponent missing two points in each case. At the end of the first set, Altmaier improved. The first break to make it 3-1 in the second round brought security, and the mediocre game then became the expectedly clear affair. After two hours, Altmaier celebrated his first point win in the Davis Cup.
Altmaier lost his only previous appearance in the national competition in February against three-time Grand Slam winner Stanislas Wawrinka and thus suffered the German team’s decisive defeat in a 3-2 defeat against Switzerland. As a result, Germany missed the group phase and now has to fight against relegation in the relegation.