timeThree years ago at Roland Garros, a momentous moment in men’s tennis seemed to be unfolding in front of a change-hungry crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier. 19-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti enters the opening week of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career with a stellar performance against Novak Djokovic , achieving a huge lead in two sets.
But then everything fell apart. When Djokovic failed to respond in the third set, the writing was on the wall as the world number one dropped a game the rest of the way. While it’s not unusual for Djokovic to hand his opponent a two-set lead before roaring to victory, the ending was particularly curious. Trailing 0-4 in the fifth set, Musetti chose to retire instead of fighting to the last point.
“It’s not an injury,” Musetti said afterwards. “Just a little cramps and a little back pain. I couldn’t win another point, so… I decided to retire.
While Musetti has been climbing the rankings and climbing into the top 30 for much of the past few years, that highlight-reel encounter with Djokovic somewhat typified the 22-year-old’s career. On the one hand, he is a huge talent with a beautiful, diverse and complete game that is all the more unique in an era where serves and ground balls are the norm.
However, his mind often prevented him from developing these talents to their full potential. He has developed a reputation for lacking inner conviction and getting nervous at decisive moments. A former junior world No. 1 and 2019 Australian Open men’s singles champion, Musetti’s name often appears in the same sentence as players such as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. While his contemporaries quickly established themselves, his progress was rather limited.
Everyone is going their own way. This year’s Wimbledon, the 25th seed Musetti finally ushered in the long-awaited breakthrough. In his first Grand Slam semi-final, he will face Djokovic again. Alcaraz, meanwhile, will face Daniil Medvedev in the second semi-final match.
It’s surprising that Musetti’s breakthrough came on grass, considering that he excelled on hard courts during his junior career and that his best results as an adult were previously achieved on clay. What a surprise. But it also makes perfect sense. Grass always rewards variety and imagination. Musetti possesses a great backhand slice, excellent movement and hand skills that allow him to play impromptu full-court tennis alongside his wicked forehand topspin. With more exposure to the pitch, the Italian has become more and more of a nightmare on the pitch.
It’s been particularly enjoyable to witness Musetti’s steady, gradual growth on the court, from losing his first four grass-court games between 2021 and 2022 to making significant progress last year and then soaring in 2024. Previously, he reached the semi-finals in Stuttgart and he reached the Queen’s Cup final, where he lost to Tommy Paul.
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That improvement culminated in Wednesday’s five-set victory over 13th-seeded Taylor Fritz, with Musetti making the American very uncomfortable with all his shots, dragging him down Getting to different positions on the court, but also keeping his courage in the game. Afterwards, Musetti, who has always been soft-spoken and reserved, seemed delighted. “After my son was born I had to say [this year], today I put my career second. for my career [this] This is the best day of my life,” he said.
Just before the start of the grass court season, the Italian had another dispute with Djokovic at the French Open. He played an incredible match, leading two sets to one in the third round, which ended at 3am, the latest match in the tournament’s history. Djokovic played well in the last two sets to avoid relegation. Instead of letting failure hinder his progress, it provided a platform for the best performance of Musetti’s career. “Of course, I think I’ve taken a step forward in terms of maturity and experience. Maybe those experiences of losing to all the big champions made me think and made me work harder.
The Italian has won one of their six previous meetings and defeated Djokovic in three hard-fought sets at last year’s Monte Carlo Masters 1000. While the 37-year-old will be expected to continue his recovery from knee surgery and compete in an incredible tenth Wimbledon final, Musetti should believe he can win and reach Center Court. Whether that belief can be sustained during decisive moments will determine his performance and the future of his career.
