The start of the tennis season often offers supporting roles the opportunity to take center stage for a moment. Frenchman Alexandre Muller, 67e in the world rankings, seized this opportunity on Sunday by winning the ATP 250 tournament (the 4e level of professional tournaments) of Hong Kong (China). The 27-year-old added a little personal touch by winning each of his matches following the same scenario: loss of the first set, then, with his back to the wall, winning the second and third sets.
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The native of Poissy beat in the final (2-6, 6-1, 6-3) the Japanese Kei Nishikori, 35 years old, currently 106e of the ranking, where he was seen at 4e place in 2015, before experiencing several injuries which broke his momentum.
Very moved after this first victory in an ATP tournament, Alexandre Muller, 1.83 m tall and 75 kilos, had difficulty describing the feelings that were going through him. “In each of my matches, I lost the first set… [Pour revenir au score], I remained calm between points. » Addressing his staff present in the stands, the Frenchman then made a wish: “We had a very good pre-season, I hope this is just the beginning. »
“I can tell myself that a new match is going to start”
During this week marked by five victories and as many comebacks, Muller notably beat (3-6, 6-3, 6-1) his compatriot Arthur Fils, 20e world player, in the quarter-finals. After this success, Muller explained in the columns of The Team that its current form was undoubtedly due to the good work carried out at the end of 2024. “I went to Dubai to prepare in December, to compete with the best during this important period. I did sets with David Goffin, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Jannik Sinner… Training with the best makes us better. »
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In the same interview, he gave the beginning of an explanation for his astonishing ability to come back to score: “I can tell myself (…), when I start the second round, a new match will start. We’re trying to adapt, to raise the level of play a little, and for the moment I’m managing to do it, so it’s great. »
When the next ATP ranking is published, Monday January 6, Alexandre Muller should be at 56e rank. Above all, here he is filled with a confidence which should be useful to him during the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the season, from January 12 to 26. In 2024, the right-hander with a two-handed backhand was eliminated in the first round by another Frenchman, Hugo Grenier. Muller lost in five sets, but won the first set, hardly a favorable situation for a comeback king.
