Lorenzo Musetti: "I think this is a turning point in my career"
Lorenzo Musetti reached the semifinals of an ATP tournament for the first time in Acapulco and will make his Top 100 debut in the coming week. Reason enough for the Italian to speak of a turning point in his career after losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Mar 20, 2021, 12:03 pm
In the end, Lorenzo Musetti ran out of strength. After six matches including qualification, the 19-year-old had no chance in the semifinals of the ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco against world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 1: 6 and 3: 6 defeat, especially since the Italian was also having abdominal muscle problems.
"Stefanos was too good for me. I was very tired after the six games. It was very difficult to play today, but I enjoyed the atmosphere," said Musetti after the defeat. The Italian knew how to inspire in Mexico with spectacular attack tennis, his elegant one-handed backhand and an irrepressible will to win and followed suit with victories in the main draw over Diego Schwartzman, Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov.
Musetti in the top 100 for the first time
"It was an incredible week," stated Musetti. Thanks to his semi-finals, the man from Carrara will be among the 100 best tennis players in the world for the first time in the coming week. "This will make a dream come true. I've always hoped to make it and now I've finally achieved it," said the youngster enthusiastically.
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Musetti had already indicated his potential in Rome last year with victories over Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori, and in Acapulco this was followed by confirmation of his great ability. "I will never forget this week," said the Italian, who has already announced a return to Mexico for the coming year.
Tsitsipas predicts a great future
It would come as no surprise if Musetti were even higher in the world rankings. Semifinal opponent Tsitsipas also confirmed that the 19-year-old had a lot of potential: "We will definitely see a lot from Lorenzo in the future. He has a great one-handed backhand and has many chances. He has shown his level this week."
Musetti will have the next opportunity to prove himself at the highest level at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami. Should another player cancel, he would make the jump into the main field, otherwise the Italian would have to fight his way through the qualification. But no matter what happens in Florida, the self-confidence from Acapulco won't be lost anytime soon: "I think this is a turning point in my career."
Here the single tableau in Acapulco