Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti made a major breakthrough in this 2020 season ravaged by the covid-19 pandemic. One year after Jannik Sinner’s triumph at the Next Gen Finals in Milan Musetti grabbed the headlines, when he beat two former 10 players Stan Wawrinka in the first round and Kei Nishikori in the second round in back-to-back matches to reach the third round at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome last September. Musetti only dropped a total of 13 games across the two matches against Nishikori and Musetti.
With his win over three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, Musetti became the first player born in 2002 to win an ATP match.
“I have seen Stan playing on TV, and I know he is a tough player to beat. The first set was almost perfect. In the second set, he tried to play better and raise his level. He was focused and determined to win the set, but I served well, mixing those and finding the right angles. I think the serve was the key that propelled me through. I would put my victory over Wawrinka ahead of the one I scored against Nishikori. It was a surprise. I played great in the first set, and i think he did not expect it. Then in the second, he tried to come back, but I was good at holding up and winning the tie-break. I would certainly like to relive those moments at the Foro Italico”, said Musetti.
Former world number 1 Jim Courier was impressed by Musetti.
“This kid’s backhand is incredible”, said Courier, who broadcastd the match between Musetti and Wawrinka for Tennis Channel.
The 2019 Australian Open Junior champion, who started the 2020 season from outside the top-350, became the first player born in 2002 to win an ATP Tour match and the youngest man to reach the Rome Masters third round since Fabrice Santoro in 1991.
The 18-year-old Italian player entered the Rome Masters 1000 tournament as the World Number 249 and dropped one set in two of his three qualifying matches.
Musetti followed in the footsteps of Jannik Sinner, who scored his first Masters 1000 match in the 2019 edition of the Rome Masters 1000 tournament beating Steve Johnson.
Musetti lost against Germany’s Dominic Koepfer in the third round, but the Italian player continued his excellent period of form winning his ATP Challenger Tour title in Forlì after beating four top-100 players (Teymuraz Gabashvili, Frances Tiafoe, Andreas Seppi, Lloyd Harris and Thiago Monteiro).
Musetti became the youngest semifinalist of the season at the Sardinia Open as a wildcard before retiring to right elbow injury. He rallied from 0-4 down to beat Yannick Hanfmann 6-2 6-4.
“It was amazing. I was coming here and trying to go as far as I could, but I am living my best moment in Sardinia. I am playing my best tennis here. I was thinking of coming here and trying to go as far as I could. I think my great weeks in Rome and Forlì took me to the level of confidence to keep me at the playing level. I have learned more about how to manage match pressure and how to behave on the court”, said Musetti.
Musetti began playing tennis at four. His father Francesco is a marble producer. His mother Sabrina is a secretary. The only coach of his career has been Simone Tartarini. He considers him as his second father and does not think he will ever change coaches. Roger Federer is Musetti’s role model. His favourite surface is clay, shot is forehand and tournament is Wimbledon. Musetti says that his best quality is that he is a hard worker.
