Italian tennis great Nicola Pietrangeli said Lorenzo Musetti “played like a champion” against Carlos Alcaraz and added the sky is the limit for the 20-year-old Italian. On Sunday, Musetti claimed a surprise 6-4 6-7 (6) 6-4 win over fifth-ranked Alcaraz in the Hamburg final.
Following his Hamburg victory, Musetti rose to a career-high ranking of No. 31 in the world. “In my opinion he is the Italian who plays the best tennis,” Pietrangeli told ANSA. “I like him a lot because he is highly technical and plays less with power, which makes him different to the others and recalls the players of my time.
Fantastic. He reminds me of us old players and there are no limits to where he can get.”
Pietrangeli: Musetti played like a champion versus Alcaraz
Musetti missed out on five championship points in the second set but recovered mentally in the third set and managed to claim a three-set victory.
“I called Musetti to pay him my compliments,” Pietrangeli said. “I must have said bravo ten times. He was fantastic. He played like a champion”. When Musetti arrived to Hamburg, he was aiming for his first main level win since early May.
In Hamburg, Musetti snapped his six-game losing streak on the main level and also clinched his first ATP title. “For me, for my team, for my family, for my friends and for the people who really love me, I appreciate all the sacrifices that my family [made] and all the hard work that I put in with my team,” Musetti added.
“I will keep rolling for sure and I will continue like [this] hopefully.” Musetti introduced himself to the tennis world at the 2021 French Open, when he reached the French Open last-16. In the French Open last-16, Musetti was up by two sets against Novak Djokovic before retiring in the fifth set. Musetti hit a rough strect after his 2021 French Open run but now he is once again making notable results.