Lorenzo Musetti must win the Athens Open this week, or he will not qualify for the ATP Tour Finals.
The Italian was in pole position to claim the last Turin spot, but lost in the Paris Masters round of 32 to compatriot Lorenzo Sonego.
As a result, Musetti opened the door for Felix Auger-Aliassime to capitalise. The Canadian did just that, reaching the Paris Masters final and overtaking Musetti in the ATP Finals race.
However, there is hope for the Italian: Auger-Aliassime has decided not to compete at the Metz Open.
If Musetti wins the Athens Open – a 250 event – he will overtake Auger-Aliassime and play in front of his home crowd in Turin.
Unfortunately for the Italian, he will play three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in his opening Athens Open round.
Lorenzo Musetti stunned Stan Wawrinka at the 2020 Italian Open
When world number 249 Lorenzo Musetti walked out to play Stan Wawrinka at the 2020 Italian Open, few would have expected him to emerge victorious.
However, he defied the odds from the very start of their contest, winning the first eight games.
Although Wawrinka fought to remain in the match, his efforts were ultimately in vain. Musetti eventually won the contest 6-0, 7-6.
By defeating Wawrinka, 18-year-old Musetti had recorded his first ATP Tour main draw singles victory. He also became the first player born in 2002 to win an ATP match.
“In the first set and the beginning of the second there was no match,” Musetti said after the match, as reported by ESPN.
“I kept thinking, ‘I’m up a set and a break against Wawrinka and he’s starting to click now.
“Everything was in place for me to fail. But I’ve been working on the mental aspect of the game the most, and I’ve improved a lot over the last month.
“To win my first match here in Rome — unfortunately without fans — I don’t have words to describe it.”
Musetti defeated Kei Nishikori in the next round before losing to Germany’s Dominik Koepfer.
Five years later, the Italian faces Wawrinka again. The Swiss legend, 40, defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 2-6, 7-6, 7-5 in his opening Athens Open match.
Could Novak Djokovic prevent Musetti from qualifying for the ATP Finals?
Unfortunately for Musetti, he will likely have to defeat Novak Djokovic if he wishes to qualify for the ATP Finals.
Djokovic is the top seed in Athens, and few would bet against him winning the title.
Fortunately for Musetti, he is the second seed, meaning he cannot play Djokovic until the final.
The Italian has a frankly terrible record against Djokovic, trailing the Serbian 1-8 in their head-to-head matchup. In fact, Djokovic has won their last five meetings.
Musetti, who has not won an ATP Tour title since 2022, last beat Djokovic at the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters.
Djokovic faces Alejandro Tabilo in his Athens Open second-round match, after the Chilean beat Adam Walton.
