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Gilles Muller shocks Rafael Nadal in marathon Wimbledon match

By Jake Goldstein-Street

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Gilles Muller of Luxembourg plays a forehand during the Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Gilles Muller of Luxembourg plays a forehand during the Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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In a shocking upset, Gilles Muller ousted Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 at Wimbledon in a marathon match for the ages.

Gilles Muller came through the win of his career when he sent Rafael Nadal packing on his way to a quarterfinal berth at Wimbledon.

The only previous time Muller has been to a major quarterfinal was at the US Open in 2008. That tournament was also the last time he defeated a top five player at a major (Nikolay Davydenko).

The final score was 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13. Muller raced out to a two set lead, but Nadal fought back without showing any fatigue. Many would have counted Muller out going into a fifth set against one of the fittest players in tennis history. However, he showed great poise to hold serve time and time again. Nadal couldn’t handle the heavy slice serve, which was a big part of Muller’s success.

This is not Muller’s first marathon of the tournament, either. In the second round, he had to face off against Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic, where he won 9-7 in the fifth set.

It is amazing that the 34-year-old veteran still had the energy to win this match. In the end, they played for four hours and 48 minutes in London. Muller had never beaten Nadal.

During a post match interview, Muller was asked how he felt about the match, all he could say was “tired.”

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Muller came into the tournament with the 16th seed. He will face former US Open champion Marin Cilic, ranked seventh, in the quarterfinals. This could be the start of a magical run for the Luxembourg native.

This match will be remembered for years to come. Unlike previous marathon matches at the All England Club, service games weren’t the most comfortable and every point could change the match.

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