“It kept getting worse”: Musetti explains the injury that ended his run
Forced to retire during his Roland-Garros semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz, Lorenzo Musetti detailed the moment the injury struck, how he tried to push through it, and why stopping — though painful — was the right decision
Lorenzo Musetti, Roland-Garros 2025 | © Dante Badano / PsNewz
For the second time in four years — and the third time in the Open Era — a retirement ended a high-stakes semifinal at Roland-Garros. Fortunately, Lorenzo Musetti’s decision to stop against Carlos Alcaraz was less dramatic than Alexander Zverev’s sudden injury in 2022 versus Rafael Nadal. Still, it was a brutal moment for the Italian, who is currently enjoying the best run of his career.
Musetti felt pain behind his left leg during a serve motion at the beginning of the third set and considered retiring at the start of the fourth, he told the reporters after the match.
“From a serve I felt something, so I started from there,” Musetti said. “Then I called the physio and medical, and after that, I started to think about the retirement more, and I felt it getting worse and worse. I started to feel at the beginning of the fourth that I couldn’t go for the rallies, and I could not move like I was doing before. There was too much risk to continue — to be able to show something even for the crowd.”
Exams on saturday for Musetti
Musetti doesn’t yet know the exact nature of the injury and expects clarity from medical exams scheduled for Saturday. “I think it was the right decision to make, even if it was not what I wanted.”
Asked by Italian reporters about his physical conditioning — particularly in light of a previous injury in Monte Carlo — Musetti responded:
“I’m not a fitness coach — I have my staff for that, and I trust them. It’s been a month that definitely gave me a lot, but also took a lot from me — constantly pushing, digging deeper. Maybe that helps shape your character too. But clearly, it’s obvious — at 23 years old, I haven’t played many Slams at this level, and when you go far in a Slam, it’s never easy to maintain your physical level.”
“The discomfort doesn’t seem to be in the same spot as Monte Carlo,” he added, “although we’ll know more tomorrow. There are other tournaments just as important coming up. If I hadn’t felt anything, I wouldn’t have stopped.”
Lorenzo Musetti, who will rise to No. 6 in the world on Monday, now turns his attention to recovering — with his Wimbledon 2024 points to defend next.
