Because the tennis world celebrates the rise of rising stars comparable to Jack Draper, Jakub Mensik and Mirra Andreeva, there’s a darkish horse — Lorenzo Musetti — who’s quietly ascending from the shadows.
The 23-year-old started the brand new season with no single ATP100 semi-finals look or a win towards a top-10 participant at a serious. He was considered a fringe top-15 participant, not a risk to make any noise.
In only a few months, he has reached the ultimate 4 in any respect three clay 1000s, together with a runner-up end in Monte Carlo, and checked off one other field with a win over World No. 10 Holger Rune within the fourth spherical of the French Open on Sunday.
If Musetti can knock off Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinal, he’ll most certainly face reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz within the semifinal. Though Alcaraz will begin as the favourite, Musetti is enjoying at a really excessive stage proper now, highlighted by his 17-3 record on clay this spring.
Musetti is aware of he is on the upward trajectory. On Sunday, he lastly beat a top-10 opponent at a serious after going 0-5 in earlier such situations, to not point out 0-3 within the spherical of 16 at Roland-Garros. The Italian attributes his newfound success to a shift in mentality.
“It is unbelievable,” Musetti stated of his breakthrough win. “Yesterday night time, I used to be dreaming about enjoying like this … I needed to increase the extent, and I’ve executed it, and I am actually, actually happy with myself … I’ve put some extra order in what I do on the courtroom. I’ve began to complain slightly bit much less and assume slightly bit extra, and that is what I did tonight, additionally … It made me come again with one other mentality, one other perspective, and it is this type of perspective that is made me enhance on the courtroom.”
