Lorenzo Musetti Makes ‘Enemy’ Remark About ‘Role Model’ Jannik Sinner

Lorenzo Musetti lost the three matches he played against World No.2 Jannik Sinner, including this year's US Open quarterfinals.

Lorenzo Musetti Makes ‘Enemy’ Remark About ‘Role Model’ Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti (via X/The Tennis Letter)

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Lorenzo Musetti feels lucky that compatriot Jannik Sinner is part of the tour. He doesn’t consider his compatriot his ‘enemy’ and explained why he thinks so.

Musetti has yet to defeat the four-time Grand Slam champion. They have so far met three times, including in the third round of this year’s US Open.

Musetti once again ended a season without winning a title. The 23-year-old last lifted a trophy at the 2022 Napoli Cup, and since then, he has played six finals, including three this year. Despite his on-court rivalry with the 24-year-old, Musetti said he shares a good relationship with Sinner.

Luckily, I have Sinner; I’ll never say ‘unfortunately.’ There’s no rivalry like that; exacerbating tensions in sport, which has so many, is pointless. And then I have Jannik by my side. He’s not an enemy who takes my breath away; he’s a champion who shows the way. A role model. Different from me? Sure. More powerful, solid, consistent. But I don’t consider it a disadvantage to have been around the same time as him.

Lorenzo Musetti told La Repubblica

At the Monte Carlo Masters, Carlos Alcaraz denied him the title, while at the Ningbo Open, he lost the match to Alejandro Tabilo. The 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medalist then suffered defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic in the first edition of the Hellenic Championship.

Would I like to have some of his qualities? Yes, while fully respecting our differences. We’re on different yet parallel paths; we each mature at our own pace. We’ve both had to endure pressure, and there have always been high expectations of us.

Lorenzo Musetti added

Because of Djokovic’s withdrawal from the ATP Finals, Musetti got the chance to make his debut in the year-end championships. Musetti defeated Alex de Minaur but lost to Taylor Fritz and eventual runner-up Alcaraz in the round-robin stage. He ended the season as No.8, while Sinner missed out on the No.1 ranking, losing the spot to Alcaraz.

While Musetti failed to win a title, Sinner took home six trophies from 10 finals, the most on the tour after Alcaraz. Sinner kick-started his season in an emphatic fashion, as he defended his Australian title and, despite his three-month doping ban, he ended up claiming Wimbledon, China Open, Vienna Open, Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals.

Lorenzo Musetti shares who he would like to go out for dinner with

During the same interview with La Repubblica, Lorenzo Musetti was asked with which colleague he would like to go out for dinner. Musetti’s answer was WTA ace Jasmine Paolini and also revealed the reason why.

Jasmine Paolini (2)
Jasmine Paolini (Image via X/Wimbledon)

With Jasmine Paolini and her smile. We’ve known each other for a long time and have a wonderful relationship. She’s a champion, I have a lot to learn from her, and I’m sure it would be a fantastic evening, full of laughter and joy.

Paolini took home four doubles titles with Sara Errani, including the French Open this year. In singles, the 29-year-old clinched one title and lost one final. She defeated Coco Gauff in the Italian Open final but failed to end the Cincinnati Open in her favor, losing the match to six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.

Last year, Paolini scripted history by reaching back-to-back Grand Slam singles finals. After losing the French Open to Swiatek, she lost the Wimbledon title to Barbora Krejcikova.

Paolini, for the second consecutive time, reached the WTA Finals, and once again, her run ended in the round robin stage. This year, Paolini lost all her round-robin stage matches to Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka. In the Grand Slam events, she failed to progress beyond the fourth round, reaching the last 16 just once, at the French Open.

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