Eastbourne 2018 preview: 4 players ready to make an impression

Can Gilles Muller replicate the magic of last year's grass-court season?

Gilles Muller holding the Libema Open title in 2017

Before the start of 2017, Gilles Muller had not won a title at ATP level. In his sixteen years on tour, Muller had been to five finals at ATP events, losing all of them. After all those defeats, it would have been difficult to imagine the Luxembourger changing that. Last year, the 35-year-old did just that, ending the wait by winning two ATP titles. One of them came at the Libema Open grass-court tournament, which is a good sign ahead of Eastbourne and Wimbledon. During his junior days, he reached the 2001 Wimbledon Boys' final and despite the loss, there was obvious potential. Even though he did not fulfil the early promise, he recorded a landmark win in his career, beating Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon last year.

His big serve and deft touch at the net caused the Spaniard endless problems. His relaxed style and ability to keep points short allowed him to keep on going. Against Nadal, this was key in a match that lasted four hours forty-eight minutes with a gruelling final set that went on two hours fifteen minutes alone. He went on to reach the quarter-finals at the All England Club, where he lost in five sets to the eventual runner-up, Marin Cilic.

Muller's current ranking of 34, does not represent his ability on grass. His title-winning experience and his liking for the surface make him a danger at both Eastbourne and Wimbledon.