Simone Tartarini, Lorenzo Musetti’s coach, recalls early matches against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Simone Tartarini, Lorenzo Musetti’s longtime coach, is delighted with his student’s landing at the ATP Finals in Turin, a goal he has been chasing for a long time. The La Spezia coach also recalled the times when he coached the Tuscan from Carrara, then a young boy of high hopes, and his path crossed with those of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
“We are overjoyed to be here – Tartarini tells Adnkronos – it was a goal for Lorenzo and we made it. It has been an incredible journey. In between there was an Olympic medal in Paris, a Davis Cup, also less beautiful matches. Now we are there and it is beautiful, but it is not an end point. There is a lot of work to be done and he has an awareness that he is a strong player.”
“Lorenzo was calm after the loss to Taylor (Fritz, ed.). He knew he was a little bit’tired after Athens, we hoped to make up for it with all the enthusiasm in town but he found a Fritz in great form. He impressed me, he was very solid on serve and response and gave Lorenzo very few chances. He played better. Advice for the match with De Minaur? To be calm and at the same time aggressive, play his best and be patient. He must not get caught up in the frenzy of having to win by force.”
“These days, Turin is a big party. Sometimes we can’t fully enjoy the journey we’ve made because we’re always running and focused, however, every now and then we stop and look back. Here we are, with the best in the world, guys who grew up with us. Starting with Jannik, who I remember as a kid in the first tournaments against Lorenzo. They played against each other for the first time at the Lambertenghi Cup, as an Under 12. And we have known Alcaraz and his staff since Carlos was 14. Whenever we see each other around the circuit we remember the old days between smiles. We used to play lightly and there’s just a little less pressure.”
