French Open: Yannick Hanfmann wants to "sell very expensive" against Nadal
Yannick Hanfmann faces the biggest match of his life in Paris - and the ultimate task on sand: Rafael Nadal.
by Jörg Allmeroth from Paris
last edit: May 27, 2019, 10:11 am
When Yannick Hanfmann played 14th at Roland Garros against Frenchman Constant Lestienne last Monday, the demand among tennis fans was quite good. Before a fine line-up of Grand Slam enthusiasts, Hanfmann (27) won the first qualifying round of the French Open with confidence, afterwards it was the start of a small tennis fairy tale. Hanfmann's long march continued with astonishing dominance, in the second application game he won on Wednesday against Austrian Sebastian Ofner, a day later he also won against former world-class player Lukas Rosol from the Czech Republic.
Hanfmann had reached his big stopover, a place in the main field of the French Grand Slam spectacle. But the actually spectacular should follow, because when the qualifiers were finally drawn to their opponents via the tableau, the native of Karlsruhe had caught the most prominent name. And even that is an understatement - because none other than Rafael Nadal will face Hanfmann in the first round of the elimination matches at the Roland Garros stadium. The "King of Clay", the clay court king, the eleven-time French Open triumphator. The man who has redefined superiority in this tennis specialty. "It will be an" incredible moment, "says Hanfmann, who is primarily looked after by coach Lars Uebel at the" Tennisbase "in Munich.
Hanfmann: "Wants to sell me very dearly"
The fact that he played his best tennis with a lot of persuasive power in the qualification for the second Grand Slam competition of the season more than paid off - after all, he, Hanfmann, the unknown German, is now also in the spotlight. During the duel man against man on the new Center Court. "I'm excited to see what awaits me," says Hanfmann, "of course I want to offer a good match, sell myself very expensive." However, the Baden resident does not care before, he will have to fight against his own nervousness in this biggest match of his career, not only against the matador from Mallorca with his impetuous tennis force.
Hanfmann is an unusual tennis professional. Not because he only found his way to professional tennis very late, by going to college in Southern California - this is no longer exotic in the industry. What is surprising about Hanfmann is a physical flaw, which he can seemingly put away and compensate for while working in the traveling circus. The 27-year-old suffers from hearing loss from birth, an overgrown bone in the ear is to blame, an unpleasant genetic inheritance from his father.
Hanfmann without a hearing aid on the court
But Hanfmann never saw his physical difficulties as a "problem". He's not someone who moans so quickly, he's a tough fighter, one who can grow up to challenges. Hanfmann has to look more closely at what his opponent is doing - it would also be important to be aware of his hitting noise. But this acoustic impression is missing, the tone of your own ball hit is just muffled. Hanfmann doesn't wear a hearing aid on the court, it would bother him, he says. Occasionally, before a match, Hanfmann asks the referee to speak louder than usual, he knows the referees, who announce their decisions and the scores rather quietly. Almost two years ago, on the way to the tournament finals in Gstaad, Hanfmann started to roll because he hadn't heard an exclamation and then missed the points.
# BETATHOMEFO #
At that time, in Switzerland, he fought his way to the final as a qualifier, then lost to the Italian top eccentric Fabio Fognini. But this success did not really push him forward, it was only a year later that he reached the top 100 for the first time and won a place in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the 2018 US Open. Only a little later to be thrown back by injuries, such as on the elbow. Luckily, he wasn't exactly "spoiled" last, says Hanfmann. This season, he only started playing in March, mainly appearing in challenger competitions. He now goes into the duel against Nadal as number 184 in the world rankings, Hanfmann, the slightly different tennis professional, the unknown German.