MULLER — OUT OF THE BUSHES AGAIN
That was Gilles Muller Sunday, shaking up the establishment at the U.S. Open, as he has done before – and then, gulp, faded away to the bushes.
Gilles Muller says he never aspired to being the greatest tennis player in the history of Luxembourg – “but I am. What does it mean?” he says with his winner’s smile, maybe as broad as Luxembourg itself and sure to last for days. Even if Luxembourg is large enough to contain two or three courts, he realizes his accomplishment is sort of like being the biggest cheese in the Netherlands.’
Like others of his struggling caste, Muller, ranked No. 118, had to brave three rounds of the savage qualifying to even associate with his betters. One of them was the spiky Spaniard, Nico Almagro whom he defeated in a wild contest, 6-7 (3-7), 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (6-8), 7-5, that lasted 4 hours 8 minutes with only two service breaks.
Lucky 7s for Muller, who dazedly looks around the Billie Jean King Center and finds himself one of the last eight standing on his end of the draw. His snaky southpaw serve (38 aces, a tournament high) probably made the slim difference. A nifty drop volley took No. 18 Almagro’s serve on match point, and a madhouse crowd of 6200 crammed into the Grandstand court went madder.
Just as the patrons did Friday when Muller pulled off another two-sets-behind coup to floor the very respected German, Tommy Haas, No. 49, out on Court 11.
A loose-limbed 6-foot-5 inch 25-year-old Muller is a rambler like all tennis players. However, most of his time is spent in the nether regions of minor tournaments where the conditions and cash leave much to be desired. Remote locations in India, Turkey, Britain, Ireland, Finland, Germany, the US, Spain, were on his itinerary.
“I made $ 3000 last week, quarter-finals in Istanbul,” he is saying, “but most of the time your expenses are greater than your prize money.”
That’s why surfacing in the big league, only his third U.S. Open, is such a windfall. He’s earned a minimum of $ 80,000, and, he says, “the computer points that will put me in the top 100. That’s where you make the big money. I mean in the top 100 you play all the big tournaments throughout the year, and that’s easier to live with.
Good looking, good natured. Gilles feels on top of the Empire State Building. No Luxembourger has gotten this far in a major, he says.
“There were moments where I thought, should I still keep playing?” For a moment he is downcast “At the challenger [minor] level, you’re losing money. But winning three matches in the main draw here” – the smile returns – “it’s pretty amazing. I never won two matches from two sets down before. I didn’t think I could turn matches around like that. Today – tight. Only two breaks of serve. I had goosebumps at match point.
“Why these wins? Good question. I don’t know. I guess everything is in the head. Everything is confidence. I guess I lost a lot of it the last three years after a pretty good 2005. It was a rough time, but I’m glad I didn’t stop.”
The confidence began to return, “Especially coming through the qualifiers. Almost lost in the first round.” To whom? None other than the unforgettable Algerian, Lamine Ouahab, 6-7 (9-11), 7-6 (8-6), 7-5. From there the basement gates opened and sun shone in, as it has all week. Gilles is the lone surviving qualifier,
“I was happy when I qualified. To me…then…that was good enough [a guarantee of $ 18,500], but look what happened. I went onto the court against Tommy Haas and played a terrible two sets. I said, come on man. You have nothing to lose. Why are you playing so tight? Then I started to play better. Now I know I can turn around matches. That gave me a lot of confidence.”
Muller made it No-go. But then his own confidence went, too. He lost in the second round to Robby Ginepri, and disappeared into the wilderness, the bush.
I asked him if he know what “bush leaguer” meant.
“Oh sure. I guess I’m one.”
But not at this U.S. Open. The bush leaguer is breathing in the second week.
Tags: Gilles Muller, New York, Tennis
August 31 2008 01:58 pm | US Open
