Epic battle sees Luxembourg player script greatest career win
London: This time last year Gilles Muller was an unheralded 33-year-old journeyman from Luxembourg without a single title on the ATP Tour.
One of the many men who travel the world, playing in the less noticed tournaments, picking up the more modest appearance fees, Muller’s record and age suggested he would end his career as barely a footnote in the annals of the sport.
His second round appearance at the All England Club last year was barely noticed, understandably for a player who had made the last eight at a Grand Slam event just once in his career – at the US Open in 2008.
Who is he? That was the question on everyone’s lips when he entered Court No. 1 at Wimbledon for his fourth round match against favourite Rafa Nadal. After nearly five hours, the crowd had got their answer.
The left-hander produced one of the most memorable upsets in the history of Wimbledon – beating 15-time Grand Slam winner Rafa Nadal in an astonishing 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13 battle that lasted four hours and 48 minutes.
Muller puts his delayed emergence down to a 2013 elbow injury that, almost threatened his career, kept him off the courts and let him work on fitness and other aspects of his game.
“This is definitely the biggest victory since then, since I came back, especially at that stage of a Grand Slam, playing one of the guys who is dominating the tennis this year again. Definitely the biggest win,” Muller said after the match.
“Since 2014 when I came back, I’m able to play full seasons without any breaks during the season. I have a lot of confidence in my body now, which I didn’t have before,” he added.
Muller was two sets up, allowed Nadal to make it 2-2. But he always dominating the fifth set, playing the more aggressive game, keeping the rallies short. His serves took Nadal, far away from the court and when that happened Muller was at the net to finish of the points with some crisp volleying.
Although he had beaten Nadal 12 years ago at Wimbledon, few gave him a chance Monday against the fourth seed and French Open champion.
He is ranked 26th in the world but his comfort on grass earned him a 16th seed at Wimbledon – a placing that he has more than justified.
Muller had been unable to take advantage of four match points prior to the decisive game and when he finally clinched victory, the calmness he had shown throughout the match remained.
“A lot of relief. I had those match points before. I mean, the noise the crowd made every time he saved a match point was just massive,” he said. “So at that moment … in my head I was thinking, ‘we have to finish this now’. And I went for broke.”