Lorenzo Musetti and Jannik Sinner are among the home favorites looking to shine at the Italian Open in Rome.
Both Musetti and Sinner start in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in the Italian capital, which is now underway.
And they will be eager to avoid the same fate as their compatriot Matteo Berrettini, who lost his opening match against Alexei Popyrin.
But as top 10 players on the ATP Tour, Sinner and Musetti should be quietly confident of lengthy runs in Rome, particularly the former.
Sinner has enjoyed a sensational season so far, although Musetti has now suggested that such success is having somewhat of a negative impact on his own career.
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Lorenzo Musetti suggests Jannik Sinner’s success has negatively impacted him
Musetti recently claimed it isn’t easy being second to his fellow Italian, and he has now been asked to elaborate on those comments for Eurosport Italy.
“Jannik has definitely opened a new path, if we want to call it that, especially in Italian tennis,” explained Musetti.
“What he’s doing and what he’s already done is something no one in Italy has ever done. Just look at the tournaments and rankings, given that he’s the world number one.
“Let’s just say that the standards of judgment of the public, fans, and insiders have risen significantly. And obviously, that’s something I feel.
“Despite being number five in the world, having reached the quarterfinals of every Slam and reached two Slam semifinals, the first thing I hear is that ‘Lorenzo Musetti hasn’t won a title in four years’.
“That’s definitely something that’s swirling around in my head a bit. Then again, there have been so many finals over the years, so it’s not that easy to be second. But we’re moving forward.”
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Sinner hasn’t just been the best Italian player for some time, but the best player in men’s tennis, having just secured a fifth successive ATP Masters 1000 title.
But Musetti can certainly be proud of his career efforts, which include two titles and a huge seven finals lost, along with his career-high fifth ranking and various lengthy Grand Slam runs.
The four major tournaments are now in the spotlight amid concerns from the top players regarding a fair share of the revenue generated, which is an issue Musetti has also now addressed.
“I supported the letter from the top ten,” he confirmed. “It’s a topic we’ve been discussing together for some time: the leaders of the two rankings are trying to put some pressure on us to move towards fairness.
“I believe the more united the group is, the more we’ll make our voices heard and perhaps more results will come.
“It takes patience; we know it’s a long process. We have time on our side, given that we’re a fairly young group with fairly clear ideas.”
Next up in the major calendar is the French Open later this month, where Musetti should be confident of a successful run.
The Italian reached the semifinals in Paris last time out before losing to Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Sinner in the final to claim the trophy.
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