Winning Ugly

Felix barely survives a tough test from Muller...

It's no wonder Muller was a bit upset after the match, having won the vast majority of baseline points. Felix really struggled, but managed to come through it due to his serve and net game. Altmaier was a big underdog against Ruud, but he was the one who looked like a big favorite. We have to admit, he is so good in these kinds of underdog roles. How many times have we seen him spoil the party now for better players? Having said that, I found Ruud really poor today. I have almost nothing positive to say about his performance... so did Altmaier get lucky again? Or is he simply great at making players look bad? ;) How about a little bit of both? Altmaier is really good at being disruptive, constantly moving the ball from corner to corner, taking pace off, playing angles, and different heights. I find him quite clutch on breakpoints and tiebreaks; he keeps finding first serves that lead to aces / unreturned serves (he is really bad at serving out matches, though). Altmaier is at his best when he has some time to work his "junkballing", so watch out for players that can rush him. And Felix definitely fits that criteria, but it's a lot harder on these courts due to how slow they are. They have already faced twice this year, in Monte Carlo and Hamburg, with one win each (in straight sets). FAA will keep giving it his all with the ATP finals as a huge motivation; however, he has played a lot of matches in the indoor hardcourt swing already, and it seems hard for him to maintain a consistently high level throughout the matches for a while now. And that's the part that makes Felix really dangerous indoors, when he really ups the pace and tempo, taking full control with his forehand. Will he be able to dispose of Altmaier quickly, or will the disruptor spoil his plans...?