Lorenzo Musetti still has a chance to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be staged in Turin from November 9-16, but he must lift the trophy at the Athens ATP 250 this week.
The Italian ace who was overtaken by Felix Auger-Aliassime in the ATP Race after the Canadian's final reached at the Paris Masters 1000 last week has not won a title in over three years and struggled a lot against Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka yesterday, prevailing only in the third set after finding himself two points away from defeat (in the second-set tiebreak).
He had a lot of problems managing the tension and did not express his best tennis for most of the match, but some errors by 'Stanimal' in the decisive moment of the tiebreak helped him to make a really valuable comeback.
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Musetti took a risk in Athens
The talent from Carrara deserves to access the ATP Finals because 2025 undoubtedly represents the best year of his young career, having finally found that consistency that he had lacked in previous seasons. Lorenzo shone especially on his beloved red clay, reaching the final in Monte Carlo and the semifinals at Roland Garros, before suffering an injury that affected him in the first part of the summer. At the same time, he has also improved on other surfaces as evidenced by the quarterfinals reached at the US Open (where he lost to his compatriot Jannik Sinner).
"I must admit that I was very nervous and I struggled especially at the beginning, also because he played really well. I couldn't find the right rhythm, but in the end I found a way to change the momentum of the match and I'm happy. I want to continue chasing my huge goal" said Musetti at the end of the clash against Wawrinka.
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The world No.9 also reflected on his one-handed backhand: "I wouldn't advise a kid who is new to tennis to do the one-handed backhand, because modern tennis is very fast and the two-handed backhand gives you more advantages in different areas of the game."
