Will Altmaier return to his old approach?
The number two in German men’s tennis wants to make up for his botched start to the season as quickly as possible. We give the 27-year-old a chance to do so in our Daniel Altmaier vs. Juan Manuel Cerundolo tip, even though the latter can count on strong support in his home country.
Both athletes lost their first-round matches at the first Grand Slam of 2026. The Kempen native narrowly avoided a triple bagel against Marin Cilic after losing the first two sets without winning a game (0-6, 0-6, 6-7). In our Daniel Altmaier vs. Juan Manuel Cerundolo prediction, the 51st-ranked player in the ATP world rankings is developing new confidence on his beloved clay.
Betting providers with a German license are giving the favorite role to the opponent from Argentina, although the Daniel Altmaier – Juan Manuel Cerundolo betting odds are not too clear-cut. In our opinion, that would be unjustified anyway.
Altmaier may have had an unfortunate start to the season – the 27-year-old is still waiting for his first victory in the 2026 calendar year. In the longer term, however, the Kempen native is coming off his best season on the tour and has established himself around the top 50.
The slightly younger Argentine has not yet made it into the top 50 players in the world. Like his German opponent, the left-hander prefers clay courts. He is currently ranked 80th among the tennis elite – 29 places behind Altmaier.
In addition, the German tennis pro has a clearly positive record against his first-round opponent, having won three of their four direct encounters.
Daniel Altmaier – Juan Manuel Cerundolo Head-to-head record
From a tactical perspective, it is an exciting matchup. Daniel Altmaier is known for his beautiful backhand. Juan Manuel Cerundolo is left-handed. Altmaier’s record against left-handed players is negative (8:13) when viewed over his entire career.
In the recent past, however, Altmaier has successfully addressed his difficulties against this type of player and has won six of seven encounters. This includes the last match between the two opponents, which Altmaier won confidently 6-3, 6-2.
Daniel Altmaier – Juan Manuel Tip
After his Australian Open defeat, Altmaier spoke of taking the balls earlier in training. This approach did not work at all in the match. According to his own statements, the 27-year-old changed his approach in the third set against Cilic and promptly made the duel more balanced, sending the third set at least into a tiebreak.
The 27-year-old is known for his analytical skills and detailed preparation for opponents. We expect him to make another tactical adjustment that will help him quickly change the momentum. The match against Cerundolo will not be easy, but it is solvable.
Especially when you consider that the first four encounters all took place on clay and Altmaier won three of those four matches. Cerundolo has a negative record against right-handed players (21:29) and a negative record in best-of-3 matches (23:30) in his career. Although his win rate on clay is better than on other surfaces (18 wins, 22 losses), it is still below 50 percent.
