Some players wear their hearts on their sleeves.
Lorenzo Musetti wears his heart on his arm—for good reason.
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The 19-year-old Italian qualifier toppled Roland Garros semifinalist Diego Schwartzman for his first career Top 10 win in his second Tour-level hard-court match in Acapulco earlier this week. Musetti backed up that victory rallying past Frances Tiafoe in a pulsating 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(1) triumph into his first ATP 500-level hard-court quarterfinal.
Afterward, Musetti said the distinctive tattoo that wraps his left arm—the ink shows a heart rhythm from an EKG machine emanating from a tennis racquet—signifies his commitment to the sport.
"The tattoo it's really fresh," Musetti said. "I made it like one month ago, almost, I think one month and a half. And it's my heart beat with a racquet.
"So you can imagine how it is important in my life, the tennis, so I decided to tattoo this. I think it's really cool and I really like it."
The world No. 120 will need to call on heart and stamina in his quarterfinal vs. Grigor Dimitrov. Musetti has played five matches, including successive three-setters, to reach the quarterfinals, while Dimitrov has played just 31 games reaching the last eight and figures to be far fresher.
"I feel great," Musetti said. "I have a lot of emotions. I'm a little bit tired obviously. I mean Grigor is an incredible player and he's playing good because he beat quite easily Kecmanovic.
"Let's see where my physical strength will go. I'm just enjoying this tournament and every day is a different day. So let's see tomorrow what will happen."
Photo credit: Abierto Mexicano Telcel Facebook