Lorenzo Musetti was on the losing side of his first-ever match at the ATP Finals on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Italian, who qualified for the event following Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal, was defeated by American Taylor Fritz 3-6, 4-6.
As a result, Musetti will likely need to beat Carlos Alcaraz and Alex de Minaur to qualify for the last four in Turin.
The Italian, who recently shared his ‘biggest regret’ of 2025, was unable to convert four break-point opportunities early on against Fritz, and thereafter, he struggled with fatigue.
This is a completely understandable occurrence when considering the monumental effort he made before the Finals.
Lorenzo Musetti should be praised for the efforts he made to qualify for the ATP Finals
Lorenzo Musetti was certainly lucky to qualify for the ATP Finals; without the aid of Novak Djokovic, he would have been an alternate for the tournament.
And Italian fans would have been disappointed to see their player lose on his very first appearance in Turin.
However, one must acknowledge the effort Lorenzo Musetti has put in to qualify for the Finals.
Since losing to Jannik Sinner in the US Open quarter-finals on September 4, Musetti has competed in eight tournaments across the span of just over two months.
For comparison, Carlos Alcaraz has competed in four tournaments and Taylor Fritz has competed in six [both including the Laver Cup].
In fact, Musetti has competed at more events and played more matches than any other player at the ATP Finals since the US Open.
| Player | Number of Tournaments since the US Open | Number of Matches since the US Open |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 5 | 12 |
| Jannik Sinner | 5 | 18 |
| Alexander Zverev | 6 | 15 |
| Ben Shelton | 4 | 10 |
| Taylor Fritz | 6 | 15 |
| Alex de Minaur | 5 | 17 |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 5 | 18 |
| Lorenzo Musetti | 8 | 22 |
It is not just the physical toll of playing matches that is a factor: the amount of travelling Musetti has done since the US Open has been extraordinary.
Since the US Open, he has competed in China, Austria, France, Greece and Italy.
Yes, Musetti has the liberty to make these decisions, and his choice to play so many events was most certainly an attempt to qualify for the ATP Finals.
However, while the debate regarding player schedules rages on, it is good to see a player willing to compete as much as he can to qualify for the tournament, one Musetti described as his one goal for 2025.
Laura Robson says Lorenzo Musetti has ‘got to be mentally and physically shattered’
After Musetti’s loss on Monday, former junior Wimbledon champion Laura Robson weighed in on the performances of the two players.
During Sky Sports’ coverage, Robson said: “He [Fritz] served incredibly well today, the backhand was on fire. But he just looked like the much fresher player of the two.
“Musetti had everything stacked against him really. He’s got to be mentally and physically shattered, but still gave it a really good go.
“And you thought in those first few games, ‘well maybe, maybe he’s going to continue this run.’ It was too much, too much of a challenge today against Taylor Fritz.”
Fritz, who assessed his performance after the match, will face Carlos Alcaraz next in Turin.
