Novak Djokovic has no doubts about Lorenzo Musetti. But he knows how to beat him

Djokovic has no doubts about Musetti

After defeating Karen Khachanov in two quick sets in the round of 16 of the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000, Novak Djokovic spoke at a press conference and also talked about his next opponent: Lorenzo Musetti.

The two had already faced each other just in Paris last year, but in a different tournament and on a different surface. “Without a doubt he has improved compared to the match he played at Roland Garros last year,” Djokovic began. “His biggest improvements are for sure on concrete. We know that clay is his favorite surface, but then you see that just a few days ago he won his first title on cement in Naples beating very high quality players, as he did today.”

“He has a bright future ahead of him,” continued the reigning Paris Masters champion. “Many times it takes a few years before a young player is able to be able to understand how the tour works and find that balance that he needs to play well. Nowadays, you can’t be a top player if you only play well on one surface; you have to be able to play all-around and on all surfaces, and Musetti is demonstrating this, showing off a complete game with one of the most beautiful one-handed backhands on the tour. He is confident and has nothing to lose; I hope to win.”

“I don’t talk about tactics, I hope you understand me: I keep that to myself. What I can tell you is that I know his game well. I have seen him play, we train together a lot; he is a very nice guy, we have a good relationship. His coach knows my coach and … I’m surrounded by Italians: my physio is Italian, my agent is Italian, my athletic trainer is Italian and I’m convinced that he can be a very exciting player not only for Italian tennis but in general, for the whole movement,” Nole concluded, praising the Italian talent.