Is Mrnja ready for another strong run?
While Alexander Zverev has already successfully cleared the first hurdle at the 2026 Australian Open, other German players are now looking to make it through to the next round. One promising candidate is Daniel Altmaier, ranked 44th in the ATP world rankings, who has been handed a tough draw, however. Marin Cilic not only reached the final of the Australian Open in 2018, but has also won a Grand Slam title on hard court (US Open 2014). Although the Croatian is now 37 years old, the odds are still in favor of Marin Cilic against Daniel Altmaier.
To make matters worse, Daniel Altmaier has not achieved much on hard courts. At the Australian Open, the Kempen native won only one of his five singles matches in the main draw of the men’s singles. The fact that Marin Cilic has recently struggled with physical problems and missed nine of the last 14 Grand Slam tournaments due to injury could certainly be a factor in a best-of-five-set match. However, the Croatian is likely to be unstoppable for the German right from the start of the match, which is why we are betting on the experienced Mrnja to win the first set.
We do believe that Daniel Altmaier, who is known to favor clay courts and has already reached the round of 16 twice at the French Open, will put up some resistance. However, it is unlikely that the player from Kempen will win more than one set if the 37-year-old Croatian is able to play to his usual standard on the court Down Under. Alternatively, you could bet on Daniel Altmaier against Marin Cilic at odds of 1.87 via the handy bet365 app that the German will win less than 1.5 sets in this opening match, which covers a clean 0-3 defeat as well as a result such as 1-3.
Daniel Altmaier – Marin Cilic Head-to-head record
Head to head: 0:0
The two athletes have never crossed paths before, so there has never been a ranked singles match between them. Consequently, there is no head-to-head data available that could influence our prediction in any way for Daniel Altmaier vs. Marin Cilic.
Daniel Altmaier – Marin Cilic Tip
There is still a big gap behind Germany’s number one, Alexander Zverev. From a German perspective, it is all the more annoying that Daniel Altmaier, who recorded six singles victories in the four Grand Slam tournaments in 2025 and only failed in the first round at Wimbledon, has drawn such a difficult opponent in the opening round. The world number 44 will face Marin Cilic, the 2018 finalist, who, at 1.98 meters tall, is a serving giant and will be almost impossible for the Kempen native to break on the fast hard court at Melbourne Park.
Admittedly, the ravages of time have not left Mrnja unscathed, as he has missed nine of the last 14 Grand Slam tournaments due to injury. As the match progresses, however, the German’s chances are likely to increase at least somewhat. In our opinion, anything other than a set win for the Croatian in the first set would be a surprise. We therefore recommend betting on the 37-year-old to win the first set.
