Watching Lorenzo Musetti play tennis is like a trip back in time. The Italian’s game is practically unrecognisable compared to the stars of today: he has a one-handed backhand, he loves throwing in drop shots and is wont to find tight angles to beat his adversaries. He relies more on tactics than power. Musetti is one of the few players – they can be counted on the fingers of one hand – who strokes the ball past his opponents rather than blasting it.
He is a sight for sore-eyed fans of classic tennis. Not only because of the pure joy he exudes on court and his refusal to conform with the norms of the day, but also because he is proving there are still more ways to win than just overpowering your opponent.
Musetti’s latest exhibition came on Thursday in the Manolo Santana Stadium in the Caja Magica, where he beat Canada’s Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-3 to bring an end to the surprise package’s dream run in at the Mutua Madrid Open and stamp his pass to his first semifinal in the Spanish capital. The Italian now faces Britain’s Jack Draper, who earlier beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-0, 6-4, in the penultimate round on Friday.
“It wasn’t an easy match. It was a bit different to the yesterday’s (against Alex de Minaur), because yesterday I felt good hitting the ball, and today that wasn’t the case”, said Musetti after taking down an impressive Diallo, who was playing in his career-first Masters 1000 quarterfinals after being the lucky loser (he lost in the last round of qualifying but accessed the main draw thanks to a last-minute withdrawal). En route to the round of eight, the Canadian dispatched four men, including Grigor Dimitrov. However, on Thursday Musetti proved to be one step too far for him.
“As you said, it’s not easy to play when you’re favourite. Particularly against a player who puts pressure on your serve like Gabriel. But I’m really happy to be in the semis”, added the Italian during his on-court interview in the Manolo Santana Stadium. “Being in the semifinals is not bad at all. It’s like a surprise whenever it happens, but a pleasant one. I think this is the result of the hard work I’ve done with my team and my family. I’m happy and I’m having a good spell”.
Musetti is proving on this clay swing that he is more than a serious contender for the French Open title. Less than a month ago he reached the Monte Carlo final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in three sets, and he has now reached another semifinal (and perhaps even another final) in the very next Masters 1000 event. Not to be sniffed at. Of course, he will reap the rewards; Musetti is now guaranteed to leave the Mutua Madrid Open in the top ten of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career. If he ends up lifting the title on Sunday he could even climb to sixth place in the world.
Musetti, who was born in 2002, will be the sixth tennis player from the 2000s to reach the Top Ten, after Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Draper.
