Lorenzo Musetti speaks out after retiring from French Open against Carlos Alcaraz
Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire from his French Open semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz after suffering a thigh injury, with the young Italian speaking out after the match
Lorenzo Musetti stood by his choice to retire from the French Open semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz due to a thigh injury, despite leading initially. The Italian prodigy had to seek medical attention twice before conceding in the fourth set.
Musetti, who was behind Alcaraz when he retired, appeared devastated as he exited the court, receiving a consoling hug and applause from his opponent.
His withdrawal handed Alcaraz a 4-6 7-6 6-0 2-0 win and a ticket to the French Open final.
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Addressing the media afterwards, Musetti offered a frank reflection on the incident: "Yeah, I mean, really honestly sad and disappointed on how it ended, but still a great match so far," he admitted.
"I felt at the beginning of the third [set] when I was serving, I started losing a little bit of strength on the left leg behind. It definitely was going worse and worse, so I decided to stop.
"I think it was the right decision to make, even if it was not what I wanted. Tomorrow I will do exams and I will of course see and evaluate the situation.
"I think we both started really, really well, hitting the ball really well. Of course I had to play probably my best level of the tournament, you know, to stay there with him. I felt today honestly I stepped forward on my level.
"I felt closer to his level. Of course I maintain the high level that we showed for two hours or whatever, so really, really happy about that.
"That's a step forward, you know, because the last two matches were a little bit, you know, one way."
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"I felt that today I had my chances even to try to go two sets up, but of course Carlos, he's playing really well. He's in really great shape. You know, he deserves to go in the final."
