How Lorenzo Musetti’s new grass-court move could wreck opponents’ plans at Queen’s
TL;DR
Lorenzo Musetti will miss the rest of the clay season due to a thigh injury. He aims to return to competition on grass at the Queen’s Club Championships after losing 800 ranking points from last year's Roland Garros semi-finals.
Key points
- Lorenzo Musetti will miss the rest of the clay season
- He has a thigh injury from the Italian Open
- Musetti is currently ranked 10th in the world
- He will lose 800 points from last year's Roland Garros
- Musetti aims to return at Queen’s Club Championships
Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images
Lorenzo Musetti will miss the rest of the clay season after picking up an injury during the Italian Open.
He shared on social media that he has a thigh issue and will skip both the Hamburg Open and Roland Garros.
Musetti, currently ranked 10th in the world, is set to lose 800 points after making the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year. The Italian now shifts his focus to a comeback on grass, aiming for a return at Queen’s Club Championships where he finished as runner-up in 2023.
In seasons gone by, Musetti has enjoyed some success on grass; a surface on which he thinks he can deliver his best tennis.
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
Lorenzo Musetti reflects on his game ahead of the grass season return
He said: “Last year was not my best grass court season so far because I was injured. I have so much motivation to be back on grass – it’s a surface where I think I can show my variation of tennis.
“I really like to play on it and enjoy the feeling of playing on grass, so I’m really happy to be coming back to Queen’s this year. Really excited to be back, it has a special place in my heart because of course, I had an incredible run.
“It was my first final in a grass tournament (in 2024), of course, it has such a historical feeling where you play in the middle of the houses, and all the British fans can watch.
“Grass fits very well in my game because of all the variation I have. My variation on grass can be used as a weapon, especially the slice, and trying to come into the net and disturb my opponent with the variety.
“I really love to slice, and on grass it’s working really well, the ball remains really low. Hopefully, we’ll have a good run this year too.”
Lorenzo Musetti’s grass court history
Even though Musetti has had most of his success on clay, his grass court numbers are also respectable. He has a 65% win rate on clay and 62% on grass, across a total of 29 matches on the latter surface.
Musetti’s most notable grass season came in 2024, beginning with a semifinal run at the Stuttgart Open. He then made it to the final at Queen’s, losing to Tommy Paul in straight sets.
His strong form continued at Wimbledon, where he matched his best Grand Slam performance by reaching the semifinals before being knocked out by Novak Djokovic.
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Q&A
What injury did Lorenzo Musetti sustain at the Italian Open?
Lorenzo Musetti sustained a thigh injury during the Italian Open.
How many ranking points will Musetti lose after missing Roland Garros?
Musetti is set to lose 800 ranking points after missing Roland Garros, where he reached the semi-finals last year.
When is Lorenzo Musetti expected to return to tennis?
Lorenzo Musetti is expected to return to tennis at the Queen’s Club Championships.
