"It just means so much to me to win my first title in front of my boys and my wife," Muller said, his voice trembling, as applause and cheers filled the stadium. Family support often plays a pivotal role in a player's success, and for Muller, also played a centerpiece role in why the championship meant so much to him. The 33-year-old Luxembourgish player saluted his wife, Alessia, and sons Lenny and Nils, five and four years young, respectively, in addressing his delightedly captive audience.
Muller's previous title opportunities saw him fall short against Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick—no slouches, those. Then he made it to two 2016 finals, losing to Nicolas Mahut and then to Ivo Karlovic. In the latter, in Newport, he held three championship points before submitting in a crushing 14-12 final-set tiebreak, among three tiebreak sets.
Muller's next task will be to take on American teen phenom Taylor Fritz in the Australian Open's first round. If he gets through that test, he would face either No. 3 seed Milos Raonic or Dustin Brown. Even so, the Sydney title remains his to savor right now.
Follow Jon on Twitter at @jonscott9.*
