Lorenzo Musetti defeats Taylor Fritz to book Australian Open quarter-final match against Novak Djokovic
It seems obvious to ask a tennis player to try to win. But nothing is simple or obvious when playing against Djokovic.
You cannot play the match against him in your own style and expect to win. You have to play the plot, you have to play the mood. This is the difference between a player who has more slams than other players and a player who has no slams. Here he is between Djokovic, ranked 4th, and Musetti, ranked 5th.
Fortunately, chiaroscuro like Musetti has become very good at this.
“It’s always difficult to play against Novak, especially here where he’s won so many times. He knew the situation pretty well and everything that was possible,” Musetti said.
“I think it will be a tough match, of course. Of course, he feels good. He didn’t lose any sets. He had the chance to rest for a few days. I think he was happy (his opponent in the fourth round withdrew) because he tried to prepare well for this match and be comfortable at his age.
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“Of course we know each other pretty well because we played a lot. [I’ve] I only won against him once. I hope I get my revenge because we were really close last time in Athens. “I feel like I have another chance now.”
The hardest part of playing Djokovic is playing Djokovic because you’re not just playing a player, you’re playing history. The second thing Musetti learned from previous matches was that Djokovic found ways to get out of tight spots that other players couldn’t. That’s what sets it apart.
By his own admission, Musetti “wasn’t cynical enough, I wasn’t cold enough” to beat Djokovic in Athens. He knows Djokovic will try to kill when faced with the same moments.
“I think the mentality I need to bring to the field next game against ‘Nole’ is to try to win the game instead of not playing it.”
Musetti’s appearance in the quarter-finals will be his first appearance at a hard-court grand slam.
When he won his fourth-round match on Monday, it was, appropriately enough, via drop shot. Musetti squeezed a ball across the net that sliced almost to the point above the ballboy’s bent knee, making opponents think they could reach him. But they can’t. Fritz couldn’t.
This was the third consecutive point where Musetti made the same shot. He hit an ace, a smash, a smash, a smash while serving for the match. Game, set, match.
And so, with the shot of that joker, he got the right to play with Djoker in the quarter-finals.
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