On the 2021 French Open, Lorenzo Musetti was on the cusp of one of many greatest upsets of the event’s latest historical past. Of their feisty fourth-round encounter, he had Novak Djokovic on the ropes, fashioning a two-set lead earlier than getting tentative with the end line in sight, ultimately retiring with damage as Djokovic recovered. The then 19-year-old Italian, for lengthy hyped as one to observe, went away from that match by no means to get previous that stage at a Main once more; later that week, Djokovic left Paris with the trophy.
Sooner or later within the three years since, Musetti obtained the Italian phrase ‘Il meglio deve ancora venire’ tattooed round his ribcage. It roughly interprets to ‘the very best is but to return.’ On Friday, in his first Main semifinal, he could have the possibility to roll out his finest in opposition to Djokovic.
Peek into the semifinal lineup and the Twenty fifth-seeded Musetti looks as if a typical journeyman who has coasted his manner right into a fortunate assembly with an awesome on the heels of a beneficial draw. His physicality and temperament could also be taking extra time to meet up with his expertise; a few of his contemporaries, particularly Carlos Alcaraz (who will face Daniil Medvedev within the different semifinal on Friday) and Jannik Sinner, could have develop into family names as he has stayed comparatively obscure. But Musetti has all of the instruments to do extra than simply make up the numbers. And Djokovic has seen it up to now.
His head-to-head with the boys’s tennis GOAT stands at 5-1, however there’s loads to unpack in these six encounters. He obtained his first high-profile win over Djokovic on the clay of Monte Carlo final yr, and simply final month, he took the Serb to the wire of their Roland Garros third spherical, the 5 units of which lasted over 4 hours to develop into the newest end within the event’s historical past.
Craft, guile
Musetti is an aesthete’s delight. A part of what had created the hype round him as a precocious teenager was that he was not lower from the identical material as many of the high gamers of at this time’s recreation. He depends extra on contact, really feel, and craftiness versus the surface-agnostic, huge ball-striking baseline bashers at the moment occupying the latter levels of Grand Slams. That’s a power that’s accentuated on grass.
These round him could have fine-tuned large serves or huge forehands, however Musetti’s best instrument is his backhand slice. He has loads of selection in his groundstrokes, likes to play it quick and throw in drop photographs, and disrupt opponents with rhythm shifts. It proves to be an antidote to the ability hitters.
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Garden Tennis and Croquet Membership, London, Britain – July 10, 2024 Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in motion throughout his quarter remaining match in opposition to Taylor Fritz of the U.S. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Each his final two opponents, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Taylor Fritz, have been huge servers and arduous strikers of the ball. Musetti neutralised each by his capacity to vary the tempo of the baseline exchanges because of his selection.
Of their previous couple of encounters, he has made Djokovic sweat. The Serb prefers to regulate patterns of play and dismantle the opponent’s recreation as soon as he has obtained a learn on them. Musetti, along with his fixed momentum shifts, doesn’t at all times make that simple.
Backhand that exams the knee
A part of why this has been a difficult matchup for Djokovic up to now is that he doesn’t at all times come out on high within the backhand exchanges. Musetti’s single-hander, an oddity in trendy tennis, may be very versatile however it’s the slice that’s most difficult on grass.
His backhand slice typically skimps over with the slightest web clearance and may keep very low. It’s a most helpful rally instrument, it takes the sting out of the ability coming from the opposite aspect of the web and resets the sample of play. For Djokovic, it should make him hit outdoors of his consolation zone too, in repeated exchanges the Serb should bend very low and take a look at the appropriate knee on which he had surgical procedure simply final month.
Gritty as his quarterfinal triumph was on Wednesday, Musetti’s detractors will say his craftsmanship is misleading, that the attention take a look at pales compared to the true take a look at, and that he’s all model and little substance.
That’s the reason Friday’s match is a brand new problem for the 22-year-old from the small Italian city of Carrara. Wonderful gamers can play scintillating tennis and nonetheless be dismantled by Djokovic, particularly on a stage as huge as Wimbledon’s Centre Court docket. The Serb might not be at his finest, but when his tussles with a seemingly imaginary hostile crowd earlier this week are something to go by, he has begun rediscovering his profitable edge.
The gang will get behind Musetti, Djokovic will likely be distracted and in the end use that to gas his fireplace. If the Italian may be composed and never overawed by the event, he has the power to make a match of this. He want solely look to his ribcage for motivation.