ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2023

Lorenzo Musetti

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/L. Musetti

6-3, 6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Tough luck, Lorenzo. What impressed you most in Carlos's game tonight?

LORENZO MUSETTI: Yeah, I mean, I think we know that he is probably the best player in the world, and at the moment it's really tough to beat him, especially on clay.

I think he grew a lot since last meeting we had in Hamburg. Today I think I didn't show my best tennis. But, of course, I don't want to take any advantage on that.

Carlos deserved to win and deserved to pass to the quarterfinals, so I'm happy for him and for the level that he showed today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How difficult is it to play against a player who can play so many different shots?

LORENZO MUSETTI: As I said before, Carlos, we know that physically, mentally, and even on the game side it's really complete. It's really a complete player. I knew that even before the match, so it's not an excuse.

Today was not easy to play. It was really windy. He played better than me, and that's it. He deserved to win.

Of course, it's tough, and it's probably one of the toughest players to beat for sure at the moment, so he deserves to be No. 1 in the world.

Q. Tough luck today. I just wondered what the level of disappointment about a loss like this is. You obviously have been playing really, really well, but equally, he is the best player in the world. How does it feel right now?

LORENZO MUSETTI: Yeah, the meaning of my loss, it's something that I have to understand in the next days. Now it's too fresh to make an analysis.

We spoke a bit with my team, with my coach, like, five minutes ago. We agree on what I had to do and what I didn't do. I was too worried about him. I was always too much in a rush during the game.

I think it's a pity because I was playing for sure my best tennis, and today maybe I didn't take the chance that I had.

For sure it will help in the future to be more focused and more worried about the details even before the match or during the match, and for sure it will help me to grow as a player and as a person.

Q. Does the standard that he has set change how you practice and train? In other words, are there certain weapons that you think you need to develop because he has certain things? Does that factor into your approach as you prepare?

LORENZO MUSETTI: No, I think that the things that I have to do, I just have to do it better daily because you cannot, let's say, invent nothing because you cannot create new shots or new weapons.

It's something that I had a strategy before to try to move with my forehand on his backhand. I always played on his forehand not the way I wanted.

I mean, he was good enough to make me play a lot of backhands, and that was bothering me a lot. He was good on that, but probably we saw that he was playing with the right plan to beat me. That's what I wasn't working on my side.

As we spoke with Simone, my coach, the plan was to try to go deep on his backhand and when I had the chance to move on his forehand, but I have never done it.

I never had the possibility to be more aggressive, especially with the serve and with the forehand. Today was not really working pretty well, but I was too much in a rush, too much in confusion to understand even that.

So I was not seeing clearly during the match. But, of course, you always face someone on the other side. I mean, if you face No. 1 in the world, it's always tough to be really clear in the mind and to stick with the plan you planned before.

So just to do the things better, even in training, but not to invent nothing new.

Q. You mentioned that Carlos was playing a higher level than when you last played in Hamburg. Can you just I guess expand on how you think he has improved in the last year, what sort of areas?

LORENZO MUSETTI: Yeah, I think we both grew a lot since last meeting in Hamburg. Of course, he won a Grand Slam, so it's something that I think you have inside.

It's like sort of a massive amount of experience that you need even to go on a step forward for the level and to set new goals, to set a new life. So even that, I think it helped him to grow.

With the serve today, was serving really good. We knew that it's probably one of the best movers on the tour. I mean, as we know, he really likes to drop and to turn with his forehand and that it is really aggressive and heavy.

I think today he showed that he probably can win this tournament.