Lorenzo Musetti was looking to advance to his second Masters 1000 final of the season.
The Italian world number 11’s clay court form has perhaps been the revelation of 2025, as Musetti continues to impress on the red stuff.
Musetti reached the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters last month, losing out to Carlos Alcaraz in three sets.
Carrying that momentum through to the Madrid Open, the 23-year-old picked up several impressive victories over the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur to book his place in the semi-finals.
Unable to return to another Masters 1000 final, Musetti lost to Britain’s Jack Draper, 3-6, 6-7.
After the match, the Italian star shared his thoughts on Draper, making a truly stunning claim.
Lorenzo Musetti says Jack Draper may be the ‘best player in the world’ after losing to him in Madrid
During his post-match press conference, Musetti gave his verdict on where Draper ranks among the best players on the ATP Tour today.
“I have to say that probably Jack [Draper], at the moment, I think he is probably, if not the best player in the world, one of them,” he said.
“So I am really happy to be sharing the court and to see how far or how close I am.”
Musetti reflected on the match and said how high he believed the level was throughout.
“I think the level was really high, especially the second set,” he said.
“I think there were a lot of points where somebody, me or Jack, was finishing the point with a winner.
- Lorenzo Musetti winners – 22
- Jack Draper winners – 20
“I think a really solid performance from both sides, it is a match that went his way but honestly I felt like I had chances in the second set to break him.
“I was trying to lead more, so I definitely felt I was really close to that.”
Musetti has been criticized for being too passive recently, as French coach Patrick Mouratoglou suggested the Italian needed to ‘dictate’ more if he wants to challenge for Major titles.
“He is globally too passive,” said Mouratoglou.
“If he manages his will more, his determination to be the one dictating and being defensive only when he has no other option. His level would go crazy up.”
Lorenzo Musetti pinpoints Jack Draper’s most ‘impressive’ attribute
Further analyzing his semi-final defeat to Draper, Musetti explained what he thinks he did better against the Brit than he would’ve done in years gone by.
“I think I am playing the same tennis but with more confidence, and I am more clear in what I have to do,” he said.
“I have another mentality on court, definitely.
“I think a few years ago this match could go maybe 6-3 and the same score as the first set. I would drop.
“I would not try like I tried today until the last point to raise the level.”
Musetti was then asked to pick out his victorious opponent’s most impressive attribute.
“The impressive thing of him?” he said.
“He is a really complete player, I would say.
“He’s impressive also when he defends. Of course, a lefty who can serve really well, especially for a one-handed backhand, it is not easy.
“I was trying today to try to go to his backhand because, of course, his forehand is really heavy and he has a lot of winners with that.
“It definitely was working, but I felt the game at the end was really, really close.
“It was impressive at the beginning, but then I thought I was really close to his level.”
Has Jack Draper had the best 2025 of any player on the ATP Tour?
Musetti suggested Draper could potentially be the best player in men’s tennis right now, but do the stats really back that up?
In 2025, Draper has accumulated the second most points of any ATP player, only trailing four-time Major champion Alcaraz.
| Rank | Name | Age | Points | Best 2025 result |
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz | 21 | 2,740 | W – Monte-Carlo Masters |
| 2 | Jack Draper | 23 | 2,290 | W – Indian Wells |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | 28 | 2,275 | W – Munich |
| 4 | Jannik Sinner | 23 | 2,000 | W – Australian Open |
| 5 | Alex de Minaur | 26 | 1,685 | F – Rotterdam Open |
| 6 | Novak Djokovic | 37 | 1,530 | F – Miami Open |
| 7 | Jakub Mensik | 19 | 1,530 | W – Miami Open |
| 8 | Francisco Cerundolo | 26 | 1,515 | F – Argentina Open |
| 9 | Ben Shelton | 22 | 1,500 | F – Munich |
| 10 | Holger Rune | 22 | 1,480 | W – Barcelona Open |
The Brit is also one of just four players to pick up a ‘big’ title this year (Grand Slam/Masters 1000) and can become the first to win multiple titles at the level should he beat Casper Ruud in the Madrid Open final.
- 2025 Australian Open – Won by Jannik Sinner
- 2025 Indian Wells – Won by Jack Draper
- 2025 Miami Open – Won by Jakub Mensik
- 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters – Won by Carlos Alcaraz
Draper will take on Norway’s Ruud in the 2025 Madrid Open final on Sunday, May 4.
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