Muller hasn’t had an easy run to the final either. He defeated wonderkid Joao Fonseca in round one before knocking out the very capable Argentine duo Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Francisco Cerundolo.

He will now face another player from Argentina in Sebastian Baez when the final gets underway with the number five seed hoping to end the stunning run to the final from Muller.

The lowly-ranked player has only won one career title and at 28-years-old, he’s still waiting to really enjoy that breakout year on the tour and perhaps the coming months can see him do that.

Alexandre Muller makes Jannik Sinner claim after reaching Rio Open final

It would appear that Muller has been leaving no stone unturned in his quest to climb the rankings and make his profession as a tennis player a far more enjoyable experience.

Shortly after reaching the final, Muller explained what has helped with his preparation for the 2025 campaign and it involves hitting with Sinner on the practice courts.

When asked if anything had been done differently in preparation for this year, he simply said: “I practised with the best player in the world during the off-season. I think that helped.”

He also posted a photograph of himself alongside the world number one. Clearly, he feels that hitting around with Sinner has helped his game and he might have taken a lot from those practice sessions.

Muller form can help improve Grand Slam fortunes

At 28 it’s rather alarming that Muller has never won more than one match at any of the four Grand Slam events that take place across the year.

He’s been beaten in round two of all four majors and for a player who does possess some quality, that’s not really good enough and he will know that deep down.

Nuno Borges beat him at the Australian Open in a four-set match that saw Muller win the first set and perhaps there is an issue with the mental side of things for the French performer.

Clearly, he’s leaving no stone unturned, however. Entering the Rio Open has clearly helped him and if he can claim a second career title it could go a long way towards reviving his Grand Slam fortunes.