Lorenzo Musetti Opens Up About Injury Woes After Italian Open Exit: “I’m Going Through Complicated Period in My Career”

Lorenzo Musetti did not want to retire mid-match in front of the home fans. He instead played through injury problems and faced a quick 6-3, 6-1 defeat at the hands of Casper Ruud in the fourth round of the Italian Open.

With this defeat, he will lose 300 points next Monday and drop out of the top 10. It was here last year that Musetti, after making the semifinals and losing the match to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz, reached the top 10 for the first time. At present, he sits in the 11th spot in the live rankings.

I am going through a very complicated period in my career, full of injuries. This has never happened to me before. It’s difficult to live through this, and mentally it’s challenging to stay clear-headed in this situation… Maybe, only the first two matches in Madrid I felt better. The rest, I have always played on one leg. Today, for example, I was afraid to put weight on my left leg. It was very difficult for me to find support and strength in that leg.

Lorenzo Musetti said at the press conference

Musetti has played one final this year. Back in January, he lost the Hong Kong Open final to Alexander Bublik. Later at the Australian Open, he handed the walkover to eventual runner-up Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals after taking the first two sets off the 24-time Major champion. Musetti was also forced to withdraw from the Miami Open due to injury issues.

We have tried several things, but we struggle to find an explanation. They have always been minor injuries, more bothersome than the major ones that force you to stop for much longer. Not only physically, but mentally, it destabilizes me a lot. If I had the answer, I probably wouldn’t be injured.

Lorenzo Musetti added

The win helped Ruud improve his head-to-head record over Musetti to 2-1. Ruud will next be up against Karen Khachanov, against whom he holds a 2-1 head-to-head lead. The Russian ace defeated Dino Prizmic, the Croatian ace, who was responsible for Djokovic’s exit in the opening round.

Lorenzo Musetti is unsure about his Roland Garros participation

Lorenzo Musetti has cast doubt over his participation at the French Open, where last year he reached the semifinals, also his best Grand Slam performance, alongside his semifinal appearance at the 2024 Wimbledon. Last year in the clay-court Major, he handed the walkover to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth set.

Right now, I don’t know if I will play in Paris. In the next few days, I will undergo more specific tests. I have been carrying it throughout the tournament, and I couldn’t get tested because I was playing almost every day, just trying to remedy it in the little time I had.

Lorenzo Musetti said at the press conference

Musetti has so far played nine finals, winning only two titles, one on hardcourt (2022 Tennis Napoli Cup) and one on clay (2022 Hamburg European Open). Since the Tennis Napoli Cup, Musetti has lost seven consecutive finals, including at the Monte-Carlo Masters, Chengdu Open, and the Hellenic Championships last year.

Musetti has reached just one big final so far, in last year’s Monte Carlo event, losing the match to Carlos Alcaraz. Apart from the Italian Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters last year, the 24-year-old also made the semifinals of last year’s Madrid Open, losing to eventual runner-up Jack Draper.

The French Open will start on May 24th. Two-time defending champion Alcaraz won’t be playing because of an injury he suffered during the Barcelona Open.

Also read: Alexander Zverev Slams Court Conditions in Fiery Presser After Italian Open Exit