The French Battle

Can Muller finally get going again?

It's been a pretty rough one-and-a-half years or so for Muller. Most of the time, watching him, it felt like he could play one good set, and then he was spent for the rest of the match! He made his way through qualifiers rather easily, so at least that is a good sign. We might not normally associate him with fast hardcourts, but I think he can adapt pretty decently in most conditions. I will admit that I'm having a pretty good feeling about him for this week and the upcoming tournaments, as he can finally start building something again.

As for Kouame, I'm a bit more hesitant at the moment. We saw some great moments in Miami and at Roland Garros, but apart from that, it's been pretty mediocre. Obviously, he is only 17 years old, so there is a lot of learning and adaptation. He has actually played two Challengers in brutal conditions in Vietnam, which I kind of admire. I think this matchup against Muller could potentially trouble him a bit. Alexandre is quite experienced and crafty, and Kouame's shot selection and consistency are still weak points, which could make this quite troublesome! I find Muller to be quite a balanced player, someone with good rally tolerance, a decent serve, and the ability to play quite well at the net. I did also see some reports earlier that Kouame had struggled a bit in humid conditions, which is certainly a thing in Chengdu...