After extinguishing an extremely brilliant version of Lorenzo Musetti, this Thursday, Novak Djokovic reached his tenth quarterfinal at the Monte Carlo Masters 1,000, the first since 2019. The Serbian, who relied on practicality in the absence of better tennis, prevailed over the Italian, in a trance for many moments, to orchestrate a revenge suffered (7-5 and 6-3 in 1h58). Last year, also in the round of 16, Musetti, 22 years old and 24th in the world, was Nole’s executioner in a tournament that, despite being held in one of his places of residence, has not been kind to the Balkan player in recent years. seasons, with an affinity with the public that could be improved, as was demonstrated again. This time, however, the world number one won everything to face Alex de Miñaur (25 and 9th) this Friday, who beat his compatriot Alexei Popyrin (24 and 46th) 6-3 and 6-4 in 1h15.
For seven games, Musseti seemed like an unattainable player. Even for Djokovic, who further sweetened the Italian’s dolce version based on atypical errors for him (12 unforced in the first set, 19 in total). From the back, mainly, the Italian made a inhibited, desperate and even disoriented Nole run. Far from being a weakness, Lorenzo’s one-handed backhand controlled the timing of a first set with a clear turning point. With 4-3 and 40-0 for the transalpine, break up, the one-man band appeared. Djokovic argued with Mohamed Lahyani, already prepared for war after the previous day’s clash with Daniil Medvedev, over a ball he had seen outside and, after that, and to the boos, he began to move his arms like a musical director, like so many other times. In that game, the first break of the match came for Nole, who was down 4-2.
With the tie (4-4), the sign of a match changed in which Musetti’s talent, omnipresent until then, only appeared in glimpses. “There was a small exchange with the public with 4-3 and 40-0 and, since then, the dynamic changed. He (Musetti) lost concentration a little. He was the best player in the first seven games, he played great tennis. He played some really good shots and made me run, but this is clay and obviously things can change sides very quickly. A break is not a big advantage on this surface compared to others. In the second set, I am happy for having remained strong and aggressive in the tight moments,” analyzed a Djokovic after the match who continued to suffer, but in a different way.
Magic vs experience
Musetti’s winners (18 in total) began to go away by millimeters and the Italian, who left several points for the gallery, got on a roller coaster in which Djokovic, despite showing signs of physical weakness on several occasions, determined the address. The Serbian broke at the start and responded with two very cruel counterbreaks (to make it 3-1 and 5-3). When Lorenzo’s magic threatened to reappear, Novak’s experience hit with double force. “I don’t think I’m at my best level, but it was a good test today against a very talented and wonderful player, especially on dirt. I lost to him last year in similar circumstances. With 4-2, he has brought that game back to my mind. ‘Oh no,’ I thought. Fortunately, the same ending has not been repeated,” he summarized. Djokovic does not usually stumble over the same stone twice.
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2024-04-11 15:23:23
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