Casper Ruud defeated Lorenzo Musetti, 6-3, 6-1, in the fourth round of the Italian Open.
Musetti clearly wasn’t 100%, as he continues to struggle with fitness in 2026.
Ever the gentleman, Ruud wrote ‘Feel better, Lore’ on the camera after the match.
If tennis were creating a fifth Grand Slam title, where would you want it held? 🌏
Then, during his post-match interview, the Norwegian had another message for the world number 10.
Casper Ruud hopes Lorenzo Musetti returns to 100% ‘quick’
Ruud was pleased with the win and his performance, but admitted he knew his opponent was struggling with his leg.
“I was really, really happy with this win,” he said.
“Lore [Musetti] was maybe not 100%. I was actually watching the match with [Francisco] Cerundolo and him the other day, towards the end, it got quite dramatic, Lore was limping a little bit.
“It’s not easy when you go out, you see the tape there, that’s the brutality of tennis. You try to do anything you can against your opponent and take advantage. You’re not quite sure what state he is in; it’s easy to think too much about him and not about yourself, but I think I did that quite well today.
“A little bit of a wobbly first set, but got an early break, and served it out.
“Happy to be through, but hope also that Lore has a speedy recovery and gets back 100% quick.”
Casper Ruud vs Lorenzo Musetti – Match stats
| Stats | Casper Ruud | Lorenzo Musetti |
| Aces | 1 | 2 |
| Double faults | 1 | 3 |
| 1st Serve % | 71% | 71% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 71% | 51% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 77% | 57% |
| Break points | 4/10 | 0/2 |
Ruud was also asked to comment on the conditions, which were far from perfect.
“It was windy!” he said.
“Coming one way, when you’re against the wind, it’s tougher on clay. You should make points a bit shorter when you’re against the wind, because you know if you rally too much in the end, it will be tough to stand against the wind.
“I was able to do that well, when I was against the wind, I did some really good serves, and was not really letting Lorenzo into the point, and when I had the wind behind my back, I was trying to play as heavy as I could and use it to my advantage.
“Sun, shade, on and off all the time, it was kind of tricky, but really happy with the performance.”
Ruud will now prepare to play his fifth Italian Open quarter-final, where he will meet either Karen Khachanov or Dino Prizmic.
Lorenzo Musetti’s injury nightmare continues
It’s easy to forget that Musetti led Novak Djokovic by two sets to love at the Australian Open in January.
Unfortunately for Musetti, he picked up an injury at the worst possible time, forcing him to retire from that match.
Since then, he’s struggled to rediscover the form that sent him to the ATP Finals in 2025.
After making the semi-finals of all three clay-court Masters 1000 events and Roland Garros last year, fans hoped he would deliver similar results in 2026.
That hasn’t happened, leaving Musetti with work to do before the French Open begins.
Lorenzo Musetti’s 2026 clay-court results
- Monte Carlo Masters – Lost in 2R
- Barcelona Open – Lost in QF
- Madrid Open – Lost in 4R
- Italian Open – Lost in 4R
The question is no longer whether Musetti can challenge for the Roland Garros title, but whether he will be fit to compete.
Only time will tell what the future holds for the Italian number two, although for his sake, we hope he returns to full fitness as soon as possible.
The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24, although Musetti is scheduled to play in Hamburg beforehand.
