Because the tennis world celebrates the rise of rising stars similar to Jack Draper, Jakub Mensik and Mirra Andreeva, there’s a darkish horse — Lorenzo Musetti — who’s quietly ascending from the shadows.
The 23-year-old started the brand new season and not using a single ATP100 semi-finals look or a win in opposition to a top-10 participant at a serious. He was considered a fringe top-15 participant, not a menace to make any noise.
In just some months, he has reached the ultimate 4 in any respect three clay 1000s, together with a runner-up end in Monte Carlo, and checked off one other field with a win over World No. 10 Holger Rune within the fourth spherical of the French Open on Sunday.
If Musetti can knock off Frances Tiafoe within the quarterfinal, he’ll almost definitely face reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz within the semifinal. Though Alcaraz will begin as the favourite, Musetti is enjoying at a really excessive stage proper now, highlighted by his 17-3 file on clay this spring.
Musetti is aware of he is on the upward trajectory. On Sunday, he lastly beat a top-10 opponent at a serious after going 0-5 in earlier such cases, to not point out 0-3 within the spherical of 16 at Roland-Garros. The Italian attributes his newfound success to a shift in mentality.
“It is unbelievable,” Musetti mentioned of his breakthrough win. “Yesterday night time, I used to be dreaming about enjoying like this … I needed to increase the extent, and I’ve executed it, and I am actually, actually pleased with myself … I’ve put some extra order in what I do on the court docket. I’ve began to complain somewhat bit much less and suppose somewhat bit extra, and that is what I did tonight, additionally … It made me come again with one other mentality, one other perspective, and it is this type of perspective that is made me enhance on the court docket.”
