{"id":37220,"date":"2021-06-06T22:30:07","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T02:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=37220"},"modified":"2021-06-06T20:52:34","modified_gmt":"2021-06-07T00:52:34","slug":"lorenzo-musetti-big-stage-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2021\/06\/06\/lorenzo-musetti-big-stage-player\/","title":{"rendered":"Lorenzo Musetti Is a Big Stage Player"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Saturday, rising talent Lorenzo Musetti became the sixth player since 2000<\/a> to reach the round of 16 on his Major (main draw) debut. The 19-year-old is set to face none other than World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Court Philippe Chatrier.<\/p>\n

One would assume the top-seeded Serbian would be ecstatic to meet an inexperienced youngster. Nevertheless, Musetti has already hinted in his young career he relishes big challenges. Rising to the occasion when lights shine the brightest is a skill, folks. And it isn\u2019t taught at tennis academies.<\/p>\n

Lorenzo Musetti at the 2021 French Open<\/h2>\n

Eye test cleared<\/h3>\n

Musetti has a natural feel for the game. He belongs in the short list of players who make tennis look effortless. Those whom club players have a love-hate relationship with. Pleasing to watch, impossible to emulate.<\/p>\n

The Italian will be a great ambassador for our sport. Nowadays, not a lot of kids are willing to watch a full match. However, they are obsessed with the trick shots and flamboyant highlights that dominate the social media scene. Hence why Nick Kyrgios is arguably the most famous non-Big 3<\/a> player among the youngest generations of fans. There\u2019s a massive difference between Kyrgios\u2019 and Musetti\u2019s approaches, though. The latter owns a wide array of tricks and he actually deploys them in situations where they are useful to win. In contract, the Aussie\u2019s usage of special strokes is often superfluous.<\/p>\n

For example, in his win over compatriot Marco Cecchinato, Musetti hit a pair of astonishing “Shot of the Tournament” candidates within a 20-minute span: a behind-the-back volley winner and a loopy version of the “Pablo Cuevas tweener.” Sensational stuff.<\/p>\n

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Underarm serves, behind-the-back volleys… \ud83e\udd29<\/p>\n

These two pulled out all the tricks today \ud83d\udc4f#RolandGarros<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/BgnPwV4hb7<\/a><\/p>\n

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n