Alcaraz impressed by Musetti’s Monte-Carlo showing, but it is the Spaniard who makes the loudest statement
Musetti reached his first Master 1000 level final in Monte-Carlo, before falling in three sets to the Spaniard in the title match
Carlos Alcaraz wins Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 © Chryslène Caillaud / Psnewz
The first time Lorenzo Musetti and Carlos Alcaraz met in a tour-level match back in July 2022, it was the Italian who came out on top, coming through a tight three-set tussle in the final of the Hamburg Open.
Fast forward to April 2025, and the pair met in a second clay-court ATP final, this time in the panoramic surroundings of the Monte-Carlo Country Club for their fifth and most recent encounter. After a promising start by Musetti, it was Alcaraz who powered his way to an 18th ATP title.
During those three years since their first meeting in Hamburg, Alcaraz has emerged as one of the most exciting prospects in men’s tennis since the emergence of the Big Three two decades ago. The Spaniard rose to become the youngest ATP No 1 in history, claimed four Grand Slam titles and continues to dazzle the sporting world with his jaw-dropping talents.
The path for Musetti, meanwhile, has been much longer and more winding than his Spanish counterpart. With two ATP titles to his name, the Italian’s progress has been steady and he remains a perennial threat to the leading names wherever he plays. But this potential has, as yet, never been consolidated in any form of long-term consistency.
His run in Monte-Carlo this week is one of the most significant strides he has taken thus far in his still young career. Not only has Musetti reached his first Masters 1000 final, but he has taken out two top-10 players en route – including the defending champion – and will find himself on the brink of the top 10 at 11th in the world when the new rankings are published on Monday.
One needs only to ask his opponent in today’s final to get a sense of just how high the Italian can go.
“We are going to see Lorenzo Musetti in the top 10,” was Alcaraz’s summation of his ATP rival’s potential.
“I think I’m sure about it, and I will see Musetti fighting for great things in our sport.”
Despite this, one fine run alone does not a top-10 player make, and it was interesting that Alcaraz himself pointed out that consistency across the entire season is key now for the Italian.
“I’m not surprised that Lorenzo is pretty close to be top 10. He has potential to be there. I mean, he beat top-10 players many times. He faced the best players in the world. I mean, he beat them and he can play really tough matches match after match after match.
“So that’s the top 10, do it during the whole year. So I think he has the weapons. He has the level. He’s learning, as I saw he mentioned before, that he’s learning how to suffer in the matches.”
confronting difficulties a key lesson for alcaraz this week
As for how Alcaraz assesses his own standing, it becomes evident when hearing him speak that his recent troubles have fuelled his successful title run in Monte-Carlo.
The Spaniard came into this tournament off the back of a disappointing US swing, in which he failed to defend his Indian Wells title before falling at the first hurdle to David Goffin in a shock Miami Open defeat.
But he revealed in his post-match press conference that meeting challenges head on has been the greatest revelation for him this week.
“This is the first tournament of the clay season, the first tournament on clay. I knew that it was going to be really difficult, I was going to face difficult moments, and in those situations I had to stay positive.
“Yeah, as my coach, Samuel said, probably stay positive is the thing that he most repeated this week. Stay strong and stay positive.
“One thing that he told me and probably was the key of this great week was you have to face the difficulties you have. Face it, not avoid it.
“I think that changed a lot, because in the matches, you have to face them, not be worried about them, not be afraid of them. When you realize and you accept it and you face it, everything is going the right way.”
Everything going in the right way is certainly a fair summary of the start of Alcaraz’s clay-court campaign. After a mixed 2025 so far – at least, relative to his sky-high standards – the young Spaniard has made the biggest statement of his season in Monte-Carlo.
It makes a statement to all his closest rivals that couldn’t be clearer in its message.
In a nutshell, it goes something like this: ‘clay is my surface, and I am the man to beat’.
In Carlos’ case, actions really do speak louder than words.
