The Croatian Highlander

Cilic never seems to die, it seems. Has Daniel recovered enough from his catastrophic start to the season to be able to win on home soil?

I’d say what he’s doing now is pretty good. He admits he arrived in Munich on Thursday to get used to the conditions, and he’s approaching this match very cautiously. He knows Cilic far too well, having played him at the start of the year at the Australian Open. What scares me a bit (and reassures me at the same time) is that Daniel has just lost to Machac and struggled to absorb his power. The heavy clay combined with the altitude makes Cilic potentially quite dangerous, especially since the Croatian has been playing well in pretty much all his matches in 2026. I won’t hide from you that it’s going to be tough, but Altmaier also has plenty of qualities to show on clay. For me, in this dangerous match-up for him, if he manages to lengthen the rallies, he’ll have his chances. I picture a complicated scenario for him in the first set, and plenty of opportunities in the second.