This is Alexandre Muller: Practice with Federer, dream dinner guests & more
French wild card Alexandre Muller will try to earn a big upset on Wednesday when he plays fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the second round of the US Open.
Before the match, ATPTour.com caught up with Muller to get to know him better off the court.
If you could have dinner with any three people, who would they be and why?
I think Roger [Federer], because for me, it’s easier because he speaks French [laughs]. I would like to enjoy the dinner so someone who speaks French, my language, it’s easier for me.
It’s difficult. I think people from sports, so we choose maybe Tiger Woods, because I like golf, and Michael Jordan.
Do you play a lot of golf?
I like to play golf when I have some days off, yes. [I like] the feeling when you hit the ball clean. That’s happened not very often, but when I do it, I enjoy it. [I play with] my coach, who loves golf, and I played golf two weeks ago in Cary with Lucas Pouille. My coach won, Lucas was second and I was third. Not such a good result, but we played in Pinehurst. Very nice golf course.
If you could switch places with anyone in the world for a day, it would have been why?
Let’s say Tiger. I would like to know the feeling when you’re so good at golf.
If you could have been part of any tennis match in history, which would you pick and why?
You remember Roger [Federer] against Rafa [Nadal] at the Australian Open 2017? I think to be Roger in this match would be amazing — the intensity, [reaching a] fifth set. It was a comeback for Roger after his injury [and he] won the tournament. It was so crazy.
Have you ever played with him?
I just had a short practice in Dubai with him, but I never played a match against him or Rafa [Nadal]. The practice was very short, because it was the morning and in the afternoon he had a flight to China to [play] an exhibition. So it was like one hour, hour and a half, just to play, no points, just hitting the ball, very chill. I was quite young still, 22 years or something. I was on holidays with my parents, and I played some good tennis with Roger.
[I liked] his game of course, even if I don’t play like him. His mentality [is] very funny. I mean, I’m just 70 the world, and I think if I go and meet him in the locker room, I can go and ask for a photo or talk with him for five minutes.
What’s something cool you’ve gotten to do because you’re a tennis player?
I’m not a superstar so I think for me, it’s travelling. I think for people who cannot travel and want to travel, that’s the cool thing that I’m doing every week, taking a flight and going everywhere in the world. Right now I’m in New York, in two weeks I’m in China, in three weeks in Tokyo in Japan. So I think that’s the cool thing I’m doing with my job.
Your favourite place?
I like Australia, in Melbourne, because it’s winter in Europe. It’s the end of the preseason, and there it’s the holidays during the summer, so everybody is very happy to be there.
Is there somewhere you haven’t visited that you wish you could?
Canada. I’ve never played the tennis in Canada, which is crazy, because there are a lot of tournaments there. So I would say, I would say Canada. Nowhere in particular, because I know nothing about this country. So I would like to go to Toronto, Montreal, see ideas, just to visit.
What other hobbies do you have?
Golf. Football. I’m not playing football because it can be dangerous, but I like to watch golf and football. [My favourite team is] Marseille, because I’m from the south of France. I like Real Madrid in Spain.
I like to watch live streams during my time off, like video game live streams. I like stuff like this. I played football for three years from seven to 10, and after, I needed to stop football because in the district in France, they told me come to [tennis] practise Wednesday, but the football [training] was at the same time, so I needed to stop football for tennis.
What was your pinch-me moment on Tour?
I think last year, when I played, I played here against [Novak] Djokovic on centre court for the night session. That was a good memory. For me a good victory was this year in Rome, I beat [Andrey] Rublev, he was [ranked] six in the world. So after a good victory like this, you say, ‘Okay, I’m a good tennis player’.
What was it like last year on this court?
It was tough. It was 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 against Djokovic. For one hour it was not a good memory, but after, I was trying to enjoy it because afterwards he won the tournament. He’s one of the best players in the world, so I could not do anything.
Did you enjoy looking around at all the fans in the crowd?
I enjoyed it. I remember just next to my towel was Barack Obama, so some amazing people like this, some actor or singer.
If you could achieve one thing on and off the court, what would it be?
On the court I hope it’s going to change when I see you in a year or six months, but for me, it’s to get one ATP title. That’s my goal in the short time right now. And off the court, I just want to be happy with my family, make them happy too, be proud of myself, and that’s it.