Lorenzo Musetti Is Trying to Break the Curse

Interviewing the Italian on injuries, fatherhood, and Jannik Sinner.

WASHINGTON — Because of how this tournament is configured, players and media alike do a lot of mixing with fans. And almost always, it’s great. We share spaces, bump into people we know—especially for me, this being my hometown—and generally stay more connected to the pulse of the public than we do elsewhere on tour.

For example, when I ran into my buddy Elizabeth a few days ago, she was giddily rhapsodizing about how many different ways Lorenzo Musetti can hit his backhand within the same rally.

Lorenzo Musetti in Washington. (Photo by Kathleen Ricker for Bounces)

Her enthusiasm was contagious, and it was especially refreshing because it had felt like a long while since I had talked to anybody about Musetti, really, since he was absent from the tournaments I covered in Europe this summer.

Lorenzo Musetti in Washington. (Photo by Kathleen Ricker for Bounces)

A left leg injury he suffered in Rome forced him out of both the French Open and Wimbledon. Those absences continued a snakebit season that started in Melbourne, when he got hurt while dominating Novak Djokovic in his quarterfinal and had to retire with a right adductor injury, despite being up two sets to none in the match.

Musetti, whose ranking has fallen from No. 5 to No. 15 this year, returned to the tour in Washington for his first matches since Rome. With wins over Matteo Arnaldi and Aleksandar Vukic, he’s made it to the quarterfinals, where he’ll face fast-rising Spaniard Rafael Jodar on Friday afternoon.

I spoke with Musetti across the week, about his comeback, his time off, fashion statements, and—with an assist from EBCJL—his thoughts on Jannik Sinner’s controversial withdrawal from next week’s ATP 1000 Montreal.

To read the full interview, please subscribe to Bounces! -Ben