'It was the match where I was closest to victory': Lorenzo Musetti reflects on best performance against Carlos Alcaraz

Lorenzo Musetti expressed regret over his retirement in the Roland Garros semifinals against Carlos Alcaraz, a match he considered his best level among their three encounters on the clay-court swing. The Italian had previously fallen in the Monte-Carlo Masters final and Rome Open semifinals, but this time – after going a set up – his level declined until he retired in the fourth set.

The Italian started with a strong first set, where he secured a crucial break to take the lead, but then Alcaraz fought back in the second set to force a tie-break and level the score. From that point on, Musetti couldn't win another game and ultimately retired with the score 6-4, 6-7(3), 0-6, 0-2, forced to withdraw due to a left leg injury.

The 23-year-old player was nevertheless proud of his progress in recent months and his second Grand Slam semifinal appearance. The Italian reached the Monte-Carlo final and semifinals in Madrid, Rome, and the French Open, breaking into the top-10 a few weeks ago, and starting Monday, he will appear as world No. 6 – his best ranking so far.

Musetti ends the clay-court swing with an 18-4 record, with three of his losses on the surface coming against Alcaraz (the other against Draper in the Madrid semifinals). "Today's match was the best of all the ones I've played against Carlos this year," stated the Italian. "I played well, he suffered at times, he wanted to be aggressive, but he made mistakes. I served better today, I had opportunities with the second serve."

"I think it was the match where I was closest to victory out of the three we've had. Carlos is pushing me to the maximum, that's what champions do; we know he's very strong physically, one of the strongest, and that he puts a lot of pressure on his game. We will analyze what we can do better to be better prepared next time. Now I have Queen's and Wimbledon ahead."

Musetti is also 5th in the Race – closely following Draper with a difference of less than 100 points. Musetti has a significant points defense on the grass-court swing, where last year he reached the Queen's Club Championships final, semifinals at the Stuttgart Open, and semifinals at Wimbledon.

Match Statistics Musetti vs. Alcaraz