“The pain kept building”: Musetti opens up on injury that cut short his run

For the second time in four years — and just the third time in the Open Era — a high-profile Roland-Garros semifinal ended prematurely due to a retirement. This time, it was Lorenzo Musetti who was forced to withdraw during his clash with Carlos Alcaraz. While the moment wasn’t as dramatic as Alexander Zverev’s heartbreaking injury in 2022 against Rafael Nadal, it was still a tough blow for Musetti, who had been enjoying the best Grand Slam run of his career.

The Italian felt discomfort behind his left leg during a service motion early in the third set. Though he continued playing, he admitted he began seriously considering retirement as the pain worsened.

“From a serve I felt something, so I started from there,” he said, as quoted by TennisMajors.com. “Then I called the physio and medical, and after that, I started to think about the retirement more, and I felt it getting worse and worse. I started to feel at the beginning of the fourth that I couldn’t go for the rallies, and I could not move like I was doing before. There was too much risk to continue — to be able to show something even for the crowd.”

Musetti will undergo medical tests on Saturday to determine the full extent of the injury, which remains unclear for now. “I think it was the right decision to make, even if it was not what I wanted,” he said, as quoted by TennisMajors.com.

When asked by Italian journalists whether his physical struggles were linked to his earlier injury in Monte Carlo, Musetti emphasized his trust in his support team.

“I’m not a fitness coach — I have my staff for that, and I trust them,” he said, as quoted by TennisMajors.com. “It’s been a month that definitely gave me a lot, but also took a lot from me — constantly pushing, digging deeper. Maybe that helps shape your character too. But clearly, it’s obvious — at 23 years old, I haven’t played many Slams at this level, and when you go far in a Slam, it’s never easy to maintain your physical level.”

He added that the current issue doesn’t appear to be in the same area as the Monte Carlo injury. “The discomfort doesn’t seem to be in the same spot as Monte Carlo,” he said, as quoted by TennisMajors.com. “Although we’ll know more tomorrow. There are other tournaments just as important coming up. If I hadn’t felt anything, I wouldn’t have stopped.”