Lorenzo Musetti is competing at the Erste Bank Open for the third time. The 22-year-old Italian only achieved his first victory on Center Court on Friday evening.
After Musetti was “only” allowed to compete at the Vienna Heumarkt in his previous two games, he brought top seed Alexander Zverev to his knees in three sets at his Center Court premiere this year.
“It’s my third time here, but I’ve never felt as comfortable as I did this year. I’m in good shape and today was a really good win for me. I’m very proud of myself,” Musetti beamed of the game.
“My variable game caused him problems”
Musetti was able to defeat Zverev at the Olympic Games in Paris this year. In the head-to-head he leads 2:1. “Of course I already knew that I could put him in difficult situations with my game. But in the hall it’s a little different than outside on clay like in Paris.”
“My variable game certainly caused him some problems,” said Musetti, who is one of the few players on the tour to play a one-handed backhand. In the top 20 there are only Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov who rely on this style of play.
“I started with the one-handed backhand as a child”
“I started with the one-handed backhand as a child,” says Musetti when asked LAOLA1. “It gives me a better touch when I play a slice or a stop.”
Punches that proved to be extremely effective, especially on Friday against Zverev. Of course, the one-handed backhand also has disadvantages: “Especially when returning, it’s easier with a two-handed backhand. The top players like Zverev or Alcaraz in particular do it very well. I often have to resort to the slice – different it doesn’t work.”
Would he still choose to play one-handed again with the knowledge he has today? “Yes, definitely. It’s probably my most natural stroke. It does have disadvantages, but I still wouldn’t want to swap.”
A statement that is sure to please tennis aesthetes. The semi-finals will show whether Musetti can also be successful against the British Jack Draper, who has performed strongly in Vienna so far.
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