Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

'Comparing myself to Jannik Sinner no longer makes sense,' Lorenzo Musetti admits World No.2 has ‘more important experience’ than him

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Gerard Crispin | Last updated 5/16/24

Italian ace Lorenzo Musetti’s poor start to the season has driven him to compete for titles in the lesser-known ATP tours. However, the Italian is of the same age as Jannik Sinner and plays good tennis, but is far behind compared to Sinner, who is already a Grand Slam champion.

Musetti was hoping for a change of fortune at the Italian Open but he lost his opening set match against Terence Atmane before eventually retiring. That sums up the Italian season so far. Plagued with injuries and losses, he has so far reached the round of 16 in two tournaments this year. His biggest win came in Miami when he defeated American, Ben Shelton to reach the round of 16.

For Sinner, it has been a different story. The Italian has only two losses this year and has won three titles already. He would have claimed his fourth if a hip injury didn’t deny him a very good opportunity in Madrid. The 22-year-old has been the dominant male player on Tour this year and a favorite in every tournament he competes.

Lorenzo Musetti has been experiencing an opposite career path. He sits at No.29 in the ATP rankings and almost won his first title at Cagliari Challengers. Ahead of his Turin Challenger match, he admitted he couldn’t compare himself with Sinner, who has achieved more than him.

The comparison with Jannik has always been there, but comparing myself to him no longer makes sense. He is almost world No. 1, has already won a Grand Slam and has had more important experiences than me. There has always been criticism of me, often gratuitous, but it happens to everyone, I am certainly not the only one. Having a slightly different game and not winning every match or every tournament makes me think I've gone a hundred steps back. Lorenzo Musetti told the reporters

Musetti will be desperate to find his form ahead of the Roland Garros after failing to win a single match in Madrid and in Rome.

Jannik Sinner likely to miss Roland Garros, as hip injury looks more serious than expected

Jannik Sinner looks likely to miss the French Open after skipping the Italian Open. The 22-year-old experienced a free-injury season last year which helped him find his form in the last quarter. He has also been the most dominant male player, winning three out of six tournaments he participated in this season.

The Australian Open champion’s hip problem began in Madrid. He was forced to withdraw from the tournament despite reaching the quarterfinals.

There are speculations that Sinner playing at the Roland Garros might worsen his hip injury even though he has yet to reveal the extent of the same. This probably suggests he will be out of the rest of the clay season.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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