Lorenzo Musetti into 1st Grand Slam semi, sets Djokovic clash

Lorenzo Musetti reached his first Grand Slam semifinal by eliminating Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6 (5) 6-1 6-1 3-3 during Wimbledon and will now face Novak Djokovic next.

Jul 10, 2024 06:01 PM

Jul 10, 2024, 02:01 PM ET

WIMBLEDON, England — Lorenzo Musetti threw his head back and spread his arms in celebration of his very first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon before covering his face with the palms of both.

He won 7-6 3-3 (5) 7-6 (5) and 6-6-2, 6-1, 3-6 victory in the match against Taylor Fritz on Wednesday was quite an achievement certainly. In the final his 25th-seed Musetti was a 22-year-old from Italy never got past the third round of the All England Club — or past into the 4th round in any of major events up to the present fortnight.

Following is the toughest test to meet Novak Djokovic.

“He probably knows, better than me, the surface and the stadium, for sure,” Musetti said with a smile, aware that he’ll be making his Centre Court debut Friday. “Jokes aside, he’s an absolute legend all over the world, but particularly here at Wimbledon. “

It will be the record-breaking 13th time that he has participated in a semifinal match at Wimbledon on his own and is more than Roger Federer, and 49th Slam semifinals in total that is the record he had previously. As Musetti hopes to claim the first title of his career Djokovic hopes to claim his 25th title which will be his eighth major in the All England Club. The All England Club.

Djokovic’s smooth progress to the finals this year proved more effortless when the opponent who he was scheduled to play during the semifinals of Wednesday the Alex de Minaur, pulled out due to a sprain in his hip moments before the match was scheduled to begin.

Instead of taking on no. 9. de Minaur on Wednesday, Djokovic will get three days of rest prior to taking on Musetti in his final match on the Friday. The semifinal for men will pit current champion Carlos Alcaraz against Daniil Medvedev and will move on to the final on Tuesday.

Musetti was forced to be a gruelling worker to make it into the last four. The 3 1/2-hour victory over 13th seeded Fritz is the 37th time that he’s been a winner of a five-setter at Wimbledon in the same year. This is the highest number of any Grand Slam tournament.

He admitted that he was not on the right track to start his career but he also admitted that “I did my best tennis in the final. I played my best to the final. “

In a sun-swathed court, No. 1 Court, against Fritz who is an American who is thought to be among the best servers in the sport However, the team was defeated by 0-4 during the major quarterfinals. Musetti was able to score 13 break points and was able to convert 6. The decisive break came from an offhand break by Musetti that made it 2-0 in the last set. A few seconds later another break was made to bring the score to 4-0.

First break for Musetti’s was shortly before the start of the second set and as he said, was the catalyst for changing the game’s course.

“Immediately I made a change in my mind. I changed my mind,” Musetti stated. “And this could have caused the difference. “

There wasn’t a great deal of difference in the game between these two teams. they were mostly trading groundstrokes and lobs with the base. However, Musetti was able to score points through shots that worked and occasionally followed them with successful lobs or passes.

The Queen Camilla, who happens to be the wife of Charles III Charles III, the Queen’s husband Charles III was seen present in the crowd, and was accompanied by her supporters in the form of a wave.

Djokovic and Musetti had played each other at a minimum of six times prior to. Djokovic is the winner of five games with a win, which includes five-sets at the French Open that concluded after 3 a.m. In the next match at Paris that he pulled his meniscus in his left knee.

“We have a good relationship and know each other well. They’ve always been a massive fight, and I’m hoping for to see a huge, massive fight. It’s likely turn out to be among the most difficult fights on the road,” Musetti declared, “but I’m an ambitious man and I love being confronted. “