By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Tennis requires time management.
After his opening-round Monte-Carlo win, Novak Djokovic said he needs more time to acclimate to clay.
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Lorenzo Musetti will try to disrupt Djokovic's timing when the pair square off in Monte-Carlo on Thursday.
Asked if he can exploit the fact Djokovic has played just one clay-court match the past 11 months, Musetti says even when the world No. 1 is underprepared he can still be overwhelming.
"For sure everyone needs matches when we change surface, but he's still No. 1 in the world," Musetti told the media in Monte-Carlo after crushing compatriot Luca Nardi 6-0, 6-0. "He started the year I think pretty well, winning another Australian Open, you know, winning a lot of matches.
"Even if being out for a month or even more, he's still Novak. So I have to be ready to beat the No. 1 in the world, not one guy who needs to prepare the clay season. So I think I have to enter the court with the right mentality, with the right mindset to beat the No. 1 in the world, not to beat someone who is preparing the clay season."
Though Musetti pushed Djokovic to five sets in the 2021 Roland Garros round of 16, he still sports major scar tissue courtesy of the 35-year-old Serbian superstar. Since Musetti won the opening two sets of that 2021 meeting in Paris, Djokovic has dropped just 10 games to the artistic Italian posting a 3-0 record, including a 6-0, 6-3 beatdown in the Rolex Paris Masters indoor last fall.
Knowing just how dominant, Djokovic can be Musetti said he has a clear game plan: prepare to face the world No. 1 not a guy coming off a five-week layoff still finding his feet on dirt.
"So I think I have to enter the court with the right mentality, with the right mindset to beat the No. 1 in the world, not to beat someone who is preparing the clay season," Musetti said.
After a horrific start to 2023 that saw him fall in the first round in five of his first six tournaments, Musetti seems to be finding form with a quarterfinal run in Marrakech last week and two quality wins in Monte-Carlo where he maintains a residence.
Still, Musetti isn't about to pronounce his game completely back just yet.
"I wouldn't say that, because I'm still a little scared to say that I'm completely back, but for sure I feel like I'm performing pretty well with my tennis," Musetti said. "Today I was feeling every shot.
"I'm feeling really, really good and in physical condition. I think I did step forward from the last month because I worked hard. Even with last season, the last months, I think I worked and I practiced a lot, so probably the results they are paying off now. Hopefully the clay season could be a comeback for myself."
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