ROLEX MONTE-CARLO MASTERS

April 13, 2025

Lorenzo Musetti

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/L. Musetti

3-6, 6-1, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Lorenzo, what was the exact nature of your injury?

LORENZO MUSETTI: We still don't know yet exactly, but of course we gonna do some exams in the next days. The thing is that, as you probably saw, I couldn't, you know, finish the match properly, but, you know, in a final, I didn't want to retire.

It was probably the best way to finish, even if I was not able, you know, to play anymore. And, yeah, that's it. Probably, you know, the toughness of the long week and the long matches that I played, at the end it cost me a little bit today.

Q. I guess it's a huge frustration to be like that in a final? What is your feeling now?

LORENZO MUSETTI: I mean, yeah, of course, especially after the first set, which I played probably my best tennis, and of course I was feeling the ball really well today. I had a clear mind what I had to do.

But physically I was struggling. You know, from the beginning I was trying to compensate a little bit with, you know, with the freedom, you know, to play.

At the end, as I said before, you know, the physical problems and the fatigue and all the, let's say, stress accumulated in the past days, past matches, you know, they were there. So unfortunately I couldn't, you know, finish the match. I mean, I couldn't, let's say, fight till the end.

Q. What do you take out of the week overall? You showed a lot of character in some of your matches coming from a set down. You had, as you say, feels like playing at home here. The crowd really willed you to victory. It's as good of a crowd I have heard around the world for a player. You're at a career-high ranking. What do you take out of it? Do you think this can really propel you now to the next step?

LORENZO MUSETTI: I take a lot of positive stuff. You know, I have reached some of my goals. Of course we are already, let's say, focusing on other goals and try to be ambitious and try, you know, to motivate myself of course because the top 10 is not there yet (smiling). That was probably the main goal of the season right now. But we are close enough to keep fighting, keep dreaming.

Yeah, I mean, I don't want to, as I said on court, I don't want to take any excuses today. Carlos probably deserved to win, and of course but the thing that was a pity that I could not show myself, you know, my game until the last point. That's it.

But I will take one week now and will not go to Barcelona, and I will play Madrid. Hopefully there I will be 100%.

Q. Tough end after a fantastic week. You were in the semifinal of Wimbledon, but on clay, you're such a force, you can beat anybody and already a top-5 player?

LORENZO MUSETTI: I mean, yeah, probably clay is my favorite surface. It's my natural habitat, I will say.

You know, I think, yeah, this week gave me the confidence to be more ambitious even in bigger tournaments like this one or, for example, in French Open that, you know, it's a massive point of the season, for me really important, which I don't have so many points to defend. So hopefully I can be prepared, you know, to do some great things there.

Of course I feel like that I have the level, you know, to stay at the top on clay.

Q. You said I think yesterday that your final was a bit unexpected, because when you came here you weren't 100% sure you would go this far. Did you lose at some point the belief that you could win tournaments on clay or play so well on clay? Could you perhaps walk us through the journey since 2021 when you had this great match against Novak Djokovic in Roland Garros, since then?

LORENZO MUSETTI: No, I mean, I always thought that some day on clay I probably show my best tennis. That's probably the surface that provides me more option, you know, to play with.

I feel, like I said on court, I feel at home here, on clay. It's where I live, I practice during the year. So probably there was also an extra motivation and a sort of advantage to have the crowd support and all the family here. So I never stopped believing that clay was my best surface.

Q. How tough is it to play against Alcaraz? Can you describe us the level of difficulty?

LORENZO MUSETTI: I mean, Carlos is already a legend of this sport, even if he's younger than me. He's a record-breaker, and on court sometimes you feel, you know, his aura, how do you say.

But today honestly I think I played a fantastic first set, which I made him change something in his game. Probably if I was, like, 100% physically, I could be more there and to stay there with more energy. That's what you need to try to beat someone like Carlos.

Of course, as I said on court, I will try to get the revenge against him hopefully soon.