Tennis
ATP: Maximilian Marterer – “I’m in a very good starting position”
Maximilian Marterer made it to the top 100 players in 2017. In an interview with tennisnet, the left-hander describes his current form and goals for the coming year.
tennisnet: Mr. Marterer. During the last few days, you have primarily worked on your condition. Is it difficult for you to get back into tennis-specific training?
Maximilian Torture: No. I got back in relatively easy. The individual steps, such as moving to the balls, came back very quickly. I’m actually feeling pretty well prepared right now.
tennisnet: You made it to the top 100 players in the world in 2017, primarily with successes on the Challenger Tour, outweighing the joy of those victories – or are you also disappointed that your first victory on the ATP Tour is yet to come?
Torterer: The latter is, of course, a small point that I am still missing. But at the beginning of the season I had set myself the goal of somehow getting into the top 100. I didn’t even think until September that I would have a chance at all. In general, I can be very satisfied with my year, because I played much more consistently and got consistent points accordingly. Sure, there were a few more towards the end of the year, but I am satisfied with my development.
tennisnet: However, this also means that you can attack fully at the beginning of the year because you have few points to defend.
Torture: That’s right. Above all, I can probably also play a few big tournaments, since I can play a few more matches on the ATP tour. But I think it’s going to be important to find the right mix of challengeers and ATP tournaments. It shouldn’t happen now that I play too few matches.
tennisnet: So you would also go back to the Challenger tour?
Torture: Well, yes. As number 90, you’re by no means out there. Often enough, I will only be in qualifying for the ATP tournaments, as I will be in Doha at the beginning of the year. The Challenger is definitely the right choice if it doesn’t work like this for two to three weeks. But starting the year at 90 is definitely a very good starting position.
tennisnet: What has actually improved on your 2017 game – and what have you been working on in preparation?
Torterer: Every stroke has become a bit better, especially the backhand is more stable. I also return better, I can vary better with the serve. I think I’ve put on a little weight in all the punches. What was very important: I did a lot of coordination training, so that I could move well to the balls. Now it’s time to do something about the endurance that I can keep my level for several weeks. That’s how I managed to do it at the end of this year: after a tournament win in the week, I managed to reach a semi-final again.
tennisnet: You will come to the German Indoor Championships in Biberach as a favourite. Does that put additional pressure on you?
Torterer: No, I don’t put any pressure on myself. For me, Biberach is a good chance to see: Where do I stand? How did the preparation go? What could I improve by the end of the year? The tournament is really very good for that.
tennisnet: Next summer there will be a new Challenger tournament near Munich. Are you so far ahead of schedule?
Torture: No. I’m scheduled for about the beginning of April. I heard about the Challenger in Großhesselohe, and I think it’s very good: Germany needs a lot of tournaments. This makes it easier for us with the travel stress. After I plan to play again in Kitzbühel anyway, I will be in the immediate vicinity anyway.
tennisnet: From the European winter you will first travel to Doha, later to the Australian Open. In the summer. How can you prepare yourself as a young player?
Torterer: We are already doing a lot of work here in preparation. It’s only natural for the legs to get heavy at the end of the week. The scopes are sometimes very high, and so we try to simulate the situation in Australia. Of course, it’s hard with the heat. After Doha I’m still playing in Canberra, where the weather will certainly be similar. I think I can manage to make it to the Australian Open already.
tennisnet: The Davis Cup is coming up immediately after the Australian Open. In Australia. As a guest you were already part of the German team. Is the Davis Cup also a sporting goal for you in the coming year?
Marterer: You have to see how the year develops. But generally speaking, a nomination for the Davis Cup team would be another great step in my development. Yannick Hanfmann was able to experience this last year, Daniel Masur was against Poland in 2016. Of course, I would always be happy to play for Germany.

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