Pune, Jan 30 (Tennis News) Emerging Italian star Lorenzo Musetti on Sunday said he is keen to make his mark in his debut appearance at the Tata Open Maharashtra tennis tournament, which begins here on Monday.
The 19-year-old second seed will start as one of the title contenders in the men's singles event in the fourth edition of South Asia’s only ATP 250 event at the Balewadi Stadium here.
“I’m here to win matches. I will try to go as far as I can and get the confidence that I used to have,” Musetti said during a virtual press conference on Sunday.
He is likely to face strong competition from top players like World No. 15 Aslan Karatsev and defending champion Jiri Vesely.
Musetti suffered first-round defeats at the season opener Adelaide 1 event and Australian Open.
“I played two good matches with two really great opponents. They showed they were playing best tennis and both the matches were close,” he said.
A Roger Federer fan, Musetti is one of the few players in the world with a strong single-handed backhand and he said it came naturally. Musetti had an impressive 2021 wherein he broke into the top-100, made Grand Slam debut and had two sets lead against the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a match at the French Open but retired in the fifth set. He rated that match as one of the best of his career.
“It helped me to understand a lot of things like I can be on that level and can reach there with my game. It was helpful especially for a young player who is coming on the tour. I hope to reach that level again and to play a lot of matches like that one,” Musetti concluded.
The tournament will continue till February 6.
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News Source : PTI
