ATP Tour

Musetti back to his best? How patience has fuelled his resurgence

With his family by his side in Paris, Lorenzo Musetti is rediscovering the joy of tennis after a season in which injuries repeatedly threatened to derail his progress.

The 24-year-old Italian has won eight of his past nine matches, ending a four-year title drought in Lyon last month before defeating World No. 1 Alexander Zverev on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters. It is a remarkable turnaround for Musetti, who has endured repeated physical setbacks, beginning at the Australian Open, where he led Novak Djokovic by two sets in their quarter-final before he suffered an upper right leg injury and had to retire.

Having returned at Indian Wells, he then showed encouraging signs on clay with six wins across Barcelona, Madrid and Rome, only for another leg injury to rule him out of Roland Garros and the entire grass-court swing, sending him tumbling to No. 25 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“I don't want to take it like that; it's more of a personal revenge [for] what I’ve been through in this tough season,” Musetti told ATPTour.com when asked whether he views the end of the year as a ‘free hit’. “In my peak, I got injured in Australia, then again and again and again… For me and my team it was tough to find solutions and ways of solving that problem. I'm really happy that things are turning around.”

The Australian Open setback was particularly difficult to process given the level Musetti had reached before it happened. Further interruptions in the months that followed made it increasingly challenging to rebuild momentum, with the Italian repeatedly having to find his feet again just as his game was beginning to click.

What did Musetti — the former World No. 5 and debutant at last year’s Nitto ATP Finals — learn from those difficult periods?

“I learned to be patient and to surround yourself with the people that you really care about and support you,” Musetti said. “I think that's the most important thing to have. Luckily, I'm surrounded with a huge team and a family that always pushed me. They motivated me to do better and to come back. Of course, I'm still young, so I have a huge amount of time to do something really great.

“But for me, it was really tough because at the peak of my career, I got injured in Australia this year. So starting the year like that was a difficult moment that probably I hadn't managed to deal with really well.”

That support system includes longtime coach Simone Tartarini, who has guided Musetti from the age of eight, and his wife, Veronica Confalonieri. Their two children, Ludovico and Leandro, have also been alongside him in Paris, with family life providing an important source of motivation away from the court.

There has been another familiar face in Musetti's corner recently, too. Gianluca Mager, a former World No. 62 and husband of Confalonieri's sister, Valentine Nicole, joined the Italian's team during his title run in Lyon, to whom Musetti dedicated his trophy.

That run to his first ATP Tour title since he won two in 2022 proved a turning point, restoring the belief that his best tennis was within reach. Against Zverev at the Masters 1000 event in Paris, Musetti showed just how much confidence he has regained, producing a composed performance to secure his second career victory against a World No. 1.

“The week in Lyon gave me that confidence to bring back the level that I used to show," Musetti reflected after defeating Zverev in straight sets on Wednesday. “In terms of confidence today, I think I managed to play a fantastic match and to be really tough in the important situations. The tie-break was really important for the [rest] of the match.”

For all the disruption to his season, Musetti's performances against the world's best have remained a major positive. The flashy but fierce Italian owns a 4-1 record against Top-10 opponents in 2026, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, with his only defeat coming in that heartbreaking retirement against Djokovic in Melbourne.

“The season has been tough,” Musetti said ahead of his run in Lyon. “A lot of injuries, a lot of difficult moments. When I face them, the most difficult part is coming back. If you do it once in a season, then it's okay, but if you do it three or four times, it starts to become a little bit frustrating.

“It’s the last tournament of the year for me and I will give it my all to turn around this season. I know that my ranking has dropped a bit, but I'm not really looking into that. I'm trying to look more into my level and the work that I'm putting in. The main priority is to finish the year with a healthy body.”

Musetti may not describe his late-season resurgence as a ‘free hit’, but he is playing with the freedom of a man who has rediscovered his confidence. With his one-handed backhand providing its customary variety and his attacking instincts returning, the Italian is once again dictating rallies on his own terms.

After months of frustration, the Lyon title and his latest statement victory in Paris suggest Musetti is finishing the year much closer to the level he knows he can produce, with his family and team having helped him find his way back.