From the clubhouse of the TC Weissenhof there is a wonderful view over the Stuttgart basin and the surrounding vineyards.

But when the German tennis pro Oscar Otte met Andy Murray there this week, it wasn't the beauty of the landscape that was the issue, but the condition of the grass on Center Court.

Murray, the two-time Wimbledon winner, asked Otte, who has never won a tournament on the ATP tour, how he found the main square.

"We talked for a maximum of two minutes," says Otte, almost in awe.

But the anecdote shows that Otte is now not only noticed by the big names in the industry, but also recognized as a serious discussion partner.

Psychic Abilities

If you will, Murray has even been something of a mentor to Otte.

Last year they met for the first time in Wimbledon, Murray had a hard time against Nobody and was only able to prevail in five sets.

In the end, Murray whispered to Otte at the net: Keep playing like this and the results will come naturally.

Murray has shown clairvoyant abilities, because a year later Otte is about to move into the top 50 tennis players in the world for the first time.

And that at an age when other competitive athletes are slowly thinking about retiring.

"I implemented Murray's words very well," says Otte, "they were very motivating for me." At almost 29, Otte experienced his best time as a tennis player.

In Stuttgart he is in the semi-finals, for the second time this year in a tournament of this category.

The big stage

For many years, Otte was one of many on the lower levels.

He has won minor tournaments on the Future and Challenger tours.

But the big stage, the big players were far away, he followed the Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and New York on television.

In his early twenties, he was in a different mood, says the Cologne native in retrospect.

He was a talented player with a carefree attitude.

He enjoyed life and thought it was great to be number 150 in the world.

But at some point he realized that life as a tennis pro is pretty short.

“Everything is subordinate to tennis”

"I didn't want to stop, feeling like I wasn't getting everything out of myself." So he started training more and more intensely, working on his shots, working on a fitness, he also changed his diet and lived as people used to be Professional has to live: "I have subordinated everything to tennis."

The successes came quickly, Otte injured himself less and won more games.

Even in the big tournaments.

He qualified for the French Open last year and led 2-0 sets against Alexander Zverev before losing in five sets like then in Wimbledon against Murray.

But it was defeats that gave him courage.

"I noticed that I really belong." At the US Open, his new self-image even led him to the round of 16.

In terms of play, Otte has everything he needs to win tournaments like the one in Stuttgart.

He plays variable, exciting tennis because he is able to follow powerful groundstrokes with soulful, slow balls.

He also serves very well and moves to the net to end the rallies early with a volleyball.

"The fast grass suits my game very well," says Otte.

And maybe he will win his first tournament in Stuttgart.

"In his head," he admits, he already has it.