NOTEBOOK: MULLER NOT STAR-STRUCK.

Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer

Most opponents would be intimidated to face Andre Agassi.

He has the fifth-most victories in men's tennis history.

Although Gilles Muller was 9 when Agassi won his first grand-slam title, the 75th-ranked player in the world won't be shaking in his shoes when he takes his place on the opposite side of the net today for the Mercedes-Benz Cup final.

Muller is one of the few players who can say he has a winning record against the tennis legend.

Muller beat Agassi 6-4, 7-5 last year in the semifinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, the event that immediately follows the Mercedes-Benz Cup on the ATP schedule.

``I played really well in juniors, then went up to seniors and stayed around 200-250 (in the rankings) for a while,'' Muller said of the beginning of his career. ``Then I went to Washington and beat Agassi, and I knew I had the chance to play tennis professionally.''

--Under the radar: Although he is one of the few successful athletes to come out of Luxembourg, Muller said he isn't exactly famous in his home country.

``People don't really care about sports there,'' Muller said. ``They're not used to having good sports in Luxembourg. I hope to change that one day. We'll see. I have more years to do that.''

Muller said there is an emphasis on schooling in the small country located among France, Belgium and Germany, and that kids are discouraged to focus on athletics.

--Old timers: Brothers Vijay and Anand Amritraj showed they still have game by winning the Legends doubles title at the Mercedes-Benz Cup.

Vijay, 52, who lives in Encino, and Anand, 53, who lives in Calabasas, beat Ross Case and Dick Stockton 6-4, 6-4 in the final.

``Even though we were born in India, we think of this as our hometown,'' Anand said. ``So it's great to win here, even more so than anywhere else.''

Their sons, Prakash (from Vijay) and Stephen (from Anand), also are professional players who pair as a doubles team. Vijay was ranked 16th in the world among singles players in 1980.