Lorenzo Musetti has set up a French Open quarter-final clash against Carlos Alcaraz after beating Frances Tiafoe in four sets.
Musetti, 23, is looking to burst out of the shadows of his compatriot Jannik Sinner and prove that he can claim a first Grand Slam title.
It can’t be easy for Musetti at the moment, given that Sinner is a runaway leader at the top of the world rankings, but clearly he’s not fazed by the competition.
He overcame Tiafoe in four sets and can now look forward to a second Grand Slam semi-final after reaching the last four at Wimbledon in 2024.
Sinner has been speaking about Musetti with both players enjoying a good run at the French Open, and now the world number seven has reacted to the comments.
Lorenzo Musetti reacts to Jannik Sinner’s comments about him
At 23, Musetti is developing into a fine tennis player and in the last 12 months, he’s seriously improved his form at the Grand Slam events.
It does feel as though he enjoys playing on clay and grass, with his two semis to date coming on those surfaces.
Musetti was told about Sinner singing his praises after his win over Tiafoe and he was pleased to receive an endorsement from his friend.
He said in his press conference: “I’m very happy. He’s not just my compatriot. He’s the number one in the world, so there’s also sort of a boost of esteem in his words. But we have always exchanged many compliments. Maybe he gives me them to memoir my game.
“I obviously give them to him for his game. Obviously, I envy his mentality, his attitude, his coolness on the court, and how he manages all these situations.
“I am very pleased with his words because I repeat he is the number one in the world, so to receive these words from a champion, and he can absolutely be called a champion, they are truly pleasing and obviously I hope that the Italian semi-finalists become the final two.”
What Lorenzo Musetti said about Frances Tiafoe
Musetti might have beaten Tiafoe in the French Open, but it would appear that he’s got a lot of respect for the American player.
Speaking of his beaten opponent, he said: “I think the second and third set, it was really hard to beat him today, because of the wind, there was less clay, which made the court a lot faster and it was not dead easy to find the solutions or the angles that I needed for my game plan. I ended the last game of the third set, he made some unforced errors, and I took the break and the set. That was the key moment.”
Tiafoe can take a lot of heart from reaching the quarter-final stage of this tournament, and he will hope to go again at Wimbledon when the next Grand Slam gets underway.
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