Tenis

If Yannick Hanfmann had not chosen tennis, there is a good chance we might have seen him on television playing football. A talented youngster across many sports, the German excelled on the left wing, and at the age of 14, he was unsure which sport he really wanted to pursue.

"I played a lot of soccer and I liked it a lot. I played soccer and tennis almost the same until I was maybe 14 or so. Then it became a little difficult because of obligations demanded by both. In the end, I think I liked tennis a bit more."

Yannick Hanfmann

HEAD Tennis Athlete

That was tennis’s gain. Born in November 1991, the German has cemented his place inside the top 100, playing in the main draw of most of the Grand Slam events over the past six years. He achieved his career-high ranking of 45 in 2023, but a solid 2026 saw him push closer to the top 50 again. He has reached three ATP Tour finals, but not yet won one.

Only 60% Hearing

It’s an impressive resumé, even more so when you consider that Hanfmann plays with a distinct disadvantage. Born with a congenital hearing impairment, he has only 60 per cent hearing, which means he misses some things that are said on the court, and it makes it more difficult to hear the sound of the ball coming off his opponent’s strings, one of the main ways for players to judge speed and spin.

Hanfmann sometimes wears hearing aids in everyday life and has found it tough to use them when playing tennis, with sweat being the biggest issue. “I’ve tried to incorporate it in my tennis, but it’s just not possible yet,” he said. “When you run around, when you get sweaty, when it’s like really intense, they get a little bit unstable.”

He says playing with hearing aids is also more exhausting than not wearing them. “Because I’m 60 per cent, if all of a sudden I play a really physical match or if I have a physical practice with the hearing aids, my system actually gets so overworked that I become really, really tired. I’ve observed that a few times – if I practice with them in, even only for an hour or so, then after the practice, I have to rest because my system is just overloaded. One time when I went back to my room, I had to shut off all the lights and everything. It was almost like a migraine. Maybe in 20 years people will find a solution, but for now it’s not possible.”

In some ways, a bustling Grand Slam event has so much going on that not hearing everything might be considered an advantage. “Maybe in some ways I don’t hear the little things, like the little shouts here and there,” he admitted. “So that could be a bit of an advantage.”

Aiming for a Tour Title

A bigger issue for Hanfmann has been translating his tour-level tennis into success in the Slams. Despite a solid, all-round game, he has yet to go beyond the third round of a major. Some of that has been down to his draws – if you aren’t in the top 32, you’re unlikely to be seeded, and that means a high chance of playing a big name in the second or third round. But luck has also not been on his side after meeting some top-10 players.

"I do think I had a couple rough draws. I can’t think of too many second rounds where I had a fair chance, to be honest, but sometimes you just have to cause an upset. I was not able to upset one of the big guys yet, so that’s a bit annoying, but I keep trying."

Yannick Hanfmann

HEAD Tennis Athlete

Like a lot of players, Hanfmann sees a big difference between the regular ATP Tour and the four majors. On the tour, he’s much more at home, especially when the tournament is played well above sea level.

“I made finals in Santiago,” he said. “In fact all my three finals were in altitude clay tournaments, so I’m playing really good at altitude. All the Grand Slams are at sea level, which doesn’t help.”

At 34, Hanfmann still has plenty of career goals, starting with winning his first ever match in New York. “It’s my worst Grand Slam, the US Open, the toughest for me to crack and figure out how to play,” he said. “But my main goal is definitely to win an ATP title.”

Words by Simon Cambers