Lorenzo Musetti achieved his ultimate goal for 2025 – qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin.
At one stage it seemed Musetti would miss out on achieving this goal. After losing the Athens Open final to Novak Djokovic, Musetti was ninth in the race.
However, Djokovic withdrew from the Finals, handing Musetti the opportunity to compete in front of the raucous Italian fans in Turin.
Although Musetti failed to advance past the group phase, he gave the Italian fans a match to remember – producing a stunning comeback to defeat Alex de Minaur in three sets.
This year, Musetti has a different goal in mind.
Lorenzo Musetti wants to close the gap to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026
In an interview with Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, Musetti revealed that his main goal for 2026 is to reduce the gap to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
“I want to play more consistently and close the gap to the two top players,” he said.
“During the season, I had the chance to compete against Sinner and Alcaraz, but I lost both times. The important thing was to learn from that, though, and I understood where I can improve.”
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The Italian star, a winner of two ATP Tour titles, also relayed his hopes for the 2026 Australian Open.
He added: “My first goal in Australia is to at least reach the second week. Last year I came close, but then I lost a match that could have gone differently, and the tournament could have opened up a bit.
“And if everything goes as planned, I’ll play in the final and get there without the eight-week chase around the world. Tennis, like life, consists of many episodes.”
Musetti has struggled at the Australian Open in the past. He achieved his best result at the tournament this year, reaching the third round.
From 2022 to 2024, Musetti failed to advance past the second round, exiting in the first round on two occasions.
Lorenzo Musetti’s record against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Against his compatriot Jannik Sinner, Musetti has won one of their four matches, at the 2023 Barcelona Open.
This year, they have played one match. In the US Open quarter-finals, Sinner defeated Musetti 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
Musetti’s record against Carlos Alcaraz is more one-sided. Alcaraz, a winner of six Grand Slam titles, has won six of his seven matches against Musetti.
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Alcaraz and Musetti contested four matches this year: in Monte-Carlo, Rome, Paris and Turin. The Spaniard won all four of those contests.
