Gilles Muller is having the best season of his career at the age of 34, winning his first two ATP titles and reaching a career high No. 26 in the rankings.

But the big-serving player from Luxembourg traces his success back to an injury layoff in 2013 that allowed him to improve his fitness.

"When I had that last injury I was able to work very hard physically for six months, because I had problems with my elbow so I couldn't play tennis but I was able to work [on] other things," he told press at the Queen's Club tournament, where he reached the semifinals.

"I think I'm now getting paid [off] for that,” he said. “I mean, I was probably never able to work that hard for that long, because as you know, tennis season starts in January, and ends in November, so you never have six months where you're able to work."

Returning from that break with his ranking in the 300s, Muller has been climbing consistently and has not had any major physical problems.

"So that was very good for me, actually. Strange to say, but that injury was probably the best thing that happened to me," he added.

"I mean, you can see also in Roger [Federer], it's kind of the same example. He took a couple months off and was able to work very hard, which he never did probably before in all his career.

"Yeah, since then I'm able to play all year long with no breaks because of injury, and I think that's helping me a lot,” Muller added. “To be able to play that long gave me a lot of confidence, also, and yeah, I trust my body now, which I didn't do before, and I think that's what changed."

Muller reached five ATP finals in his career before finally winning his first title this season in Sydney, Australia. Though it was initially difficult for him to adjust to achieving such a big goal, he won his second title two weeks ago in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, and says there is now less pressure on him.

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"It was something that I was working for my whole career, and then, I mean, 16 years. You can imagine the weight that I had on my shoulders to get that first trophy," he said.

"I think I don't feel the pressure anymore that I used to feel when I played a final. Basically, the whole weight is off my shoulders."

Muller said that success makes him even more eager to keep playing. "For the first time I have a ‘2’ in front of my ranking. That means a lot. Those are things you think about, you dream of as a kid, so when it happens it feels good."

In good shape physically, and with his children in the stands for both his tour victories this season, the veteran is not considering retiring.

"I feel I lost a little bit of time in my career because of injuries, and I kind of feel like I don't want to stop," Muller said. "One thing that always kept me going was my two boys at home. I always dreamt of playing in front of them and them seeing me play the big tournaments. So, yeah, it doesn't feel like I want to stop."

Muller has matched his career high in the rankings following his semifinal showing at Queen's.