Nice Game between Musetti and Djokovic In Monte-Carlo
At the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday, Lorenzo Musetti defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 to advance to his second ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal, recording the biggest victory of his career.
The 21-year-old Italian won the match in two hours and 54 minutes after taking advantage of Djokovic’s poor serving while playing in damp and windy circumstances on Court Rainier III. The Italian broke the Serbian eight times during the match. Musetti stared at his squad and shook his head in shock after scoring on his fourth match point.
“I am struggling not to cry,” Musetti said in his on-court interview. “It is an emotional win because it was a really long match. Three-hour match and suspended by rain. It was not easy conditions because it was a little bit windy and cold. Not like we used to play in the recent days. I am really proud of myself and I can see on the screen. I am struggling not to cry because it is a dream for me.”
Musetti came from 2-4 in the second set to tie after losing the first set. After a 59-minute rain delay at the start of the final, he proceeded to play with effort and flair to achieve the second Top 5 victory of his career. He struck with aggressiveness and depth to push Djokovic into 11 unforced mistakes in the set.
“On [serve], I was unable to strike the correct balance. more so with the throw. Musetti stated, “I believe we were returning rather than serving. “It was a hard match, and the rallies in the end were extremely heated and protracted. even for the mental and physical aspects. For me, defeating Novak is a fantastic accomplishment.
Musetti increased his ATP Head2Head record against Djokovic to 1-3 with his eleventh tour-level triumph of the year. Jannik Sinner, a fellow countryman who earlier on Thursday defeated Hubert Hurkacz, will be the opponent for him next.
According to Infosys ATP Stats, Djokovic started the week with the highest winning rate on the ATP Tour behind his second serve at 58.7 percent. He only won 39% of the second-serve points (12/31) against Musetti. The Serbian has only lost serve 17 times in 17 outings prior to the contest. He dropped service eight times when playing Musetti.
After defeating Luca Nardi 6-0, 6-0 and Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6(1), 6-0, Musetti came into the match with enthusiasm. The Italian player, 21, expanded his shoulders as the game went on and crushed the ball off both wings to win. He is now in his second Masters 1000 quarterfinal having making it to the last eight in Paris in 2022.
