“Best in the world” – Musetti reflects on close encounter with Draper
The Italian did not think he was too far from the standard set by Jack Draper, who is set to enter the ATP Top 5 next week
Lorenzo Musetti (Zuma/PSNewz)
Lorenzo Musetti exited the Mutua Madrid Open at the semi-final stage, beaten 6-3, 7-6 (4) by Jack Draper – a man he rates very highly, he said afterwards.
“Honestly, I felt like that I had chances in the second set to break him, to try to go a little bit,” he said in his press conference.
“I was trying to lead more the game, so definitely felt that I was really close to that.
“But I have to say that probably Jack at the moment I think he’s probably, if not the best player in the world, one of them. So really happy to be sharing the court, and to see how far or how close I am.”
Musetti – Draper is a complete player
Going into a little more detail, he added: “The impressive thing of him, I mean, he’s really a complete player. I would say he’s impressive also when he defends. For his height, it’s really high. And of course a lefty who can serve really well, especially for a one-handed backhand it’s not easy to, I was trying today a lot to try to go to his backhand, because of course his forehand is really heavy, and he hits a lot of, you know, winners with that, definitely it was working.
“But I felt that the game at the end was really, really, really close. Of course, it was impressive at the beginning, but then I think I, you know, I was really close to his level.”
And the Italian corrected the idea that he is himself currently playing the best tennis of his life, replying: “I think probably I’m playing the same tennis, but with more confidence, and I have more clear what I have to do. I have another mentality on court, definitely.”
