ROLAND GARROS

June 3, 2025

Lorenzo Musetti

Press Conference

L. MUSETTI/F. Tiafoe

6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Congrats. How happy are you to reach your first semifinal here at Roland Garros, not including the Olympics last year? And how tough were the conditions out there today?

LORENZO MUSETTI: Yes, starting from the condition, I think was pretty windy and was not that easy to find the right feelings with the ball, but I managed to win this incredible third set, which was probably the key of the match. Definitely was probably gave me that extra motivation and extra energy to put more energy and intensity on the last set.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. When you accidentally kicked the ball at the line judge, for which you apologized for, did you at that moment think, I could be in trouble here, I could be defaulted by the letter of the law?

LORENZO MUSETTI: Yeah, honestly it was really unlucky coincidence. Yeah, I was a little bit, honestly, scared, because I really didn't want to harm nobody, of course. So I immediately went to the line umpire, and I of course said, Sorry, I apologize to everyone.

It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that, and that's why probably just, you know, let me continue my game.

Q. Frances had said he was playing this tournament, he was playing hard court tennis on a clay court. As someone who is very good on a clay court, how do you find that when you are playing somebody who is not playing traditionally the way someone like you would play on a clay court?

LORENZO MUSETTI: Yeah, I think especially second and third set were really -- it was really hard to beat him, because especially condition today with the wind, there was less clay, so the court was faster and, you know, was not that easy to find a solution or angles or the variation that I need to have on my game plan.

But, of course I founded a way in the last game of the third set. He made some unforced errors, and I got the break, and I got the set. That was the key moment probably of the match.

Q. I wanted to ask about your serve. You obviously have been serving well.

LORENZO MUSETTI: Thanks.

Q. You changed your service motion this year. What was that like changing it? What were you looking for with the change? And was there ever a point where it felt uncomfortable until the point now where it looks very comfortable?

LORENZO MUSETTI: Yeah. I know there was a matter of time for me to find the right motion and, you know, the right rhythm on the serve. We've done this change at the beginning of the year, and of course I was having problems having consistency on the serve before, especially on the toss.

So we shorten a bit the motion to have more control, and then I got more confidence in what I was having as a motion. Right now I think in really many, many situation of, like, difficult situation, I make an ace or have my serve as a weapon, and it was a pretty big change also for my game.

Q. You're facing Carlos Alcaraz next. You played him already in Monte-Carlo in the final.

LORENZO MUSETTI: Already?

Q. Very likely. You will very likely face him. How will you prepare this confrontation? How different are you from what you were as a player in Monte-Carlo?

LORENZO MUSETTI: Honestly I found really disrespectful for Tommy, for the ones who they play to have a question already about the semifinals. There's a match to play, and honestly, I don't want to answer on this question.

Q. The tournament has an activation where you walk on court with a little kid holding hands.

LORENZO MUSETTI: Yes.

Q. I want to know how you feel about that, and would you have liked to be that kid when you were little, it would have been nice for you? What are your thoughts on that activation?

LORENZO MUSETTI: Yeah, of course. There was probably every, you know, kids who plays tennis, I think it could be a dream to shake hands with the legends. I not include myself. Like of my age, shaking hands, I don't know, to Rafa, Roger, Nole, or Andy. All these past champions that they were my inspiration since I was a kid.

So definitely, yes. Hopefully one of the kids that we are bringing inside the court one day will be playing here at our same venue.