first blue derby in the quarterfinals of a Master 1000 – Corriere.it

Those two are like day and night. Emotional Lorenzoloyal to the first coach Simon Tartariniwilling to kiss his fiancée Veronica in Eurovision, who suffered like everyone in the three hours of roller coaster with Djokovic, before Musetti’s absolute beauty took over the rust of the No. 1 (6 double faults and 23 gratuitous errors), never too comfortable in the Principality (four finals, two victories) without taking anything away from the blue: life’s feats are also built by widening the cracks of others.
Cold Jannik
, who showed up in Montecarlo last year fresh from his divorce from mentor Piatti, very good at keeping his girlfriend Maria in the shadows, capable of recovering a set and a break and canceling a match point from his friend Hurkacz (sharp backhand on backhand of the Pole: it took courage), the same one that in 2021 denied him Miami.

First blue derby in the quarterfinals of a Master 1000

Italian is spoken in Montecarlo, not a novelty, in the grandstand there are Nick Pietrangeli who is at home here (three times king in another geological era) and Fabio Fognini which triumphed in 2019, for Musetti-Sinner, today, the first blue derby in the quarterfinals of a Master 1000, guarantees us a place in the semifinals and a room with a view of tomorrow. Anyone would like to have Lorenzo’s tennis wealth (I have such an abundance of solutions that I get lost every now and then), the same player who won just one match in five tournaments between February and March, excellent at not getting discouraged after the windy first set with Djoker (6-4), at reopening the second in the seventh game (7-5), at not being distracted by the rain in a difficult match against the master of situations impossible, to go up 5-3 in the third and close on the fifth occasion: I just want to cry, I’m holding back. the most beautiful victory, it means a lot.

Sinner against Musetti: the precedents

Anyone dreams of Jannik’s granite solidity, who like Musetti comes from the confidence boost of victory over a world number one (Alcaraz in Miami) and leads direct comparisons over his Davis Cup teammate 1-0. In Antwerp, on the fast indoors, in 2021 the only precedent: Sinner in two sets. Then the shared experience of the blue jersey (in the stands are captain Volandri, who rejoices for his blues, and Umberto Rianna, the precious link between the Federation and private teams) and Jannik’s advice to Lorenzo on the occasion of the debut in Davis, Bratislava, March 2022, where the new Musetti drew lymph from the trust placed in him as owner: Remember, you don’t lose here: you either win or you learn.

Djokovic exalts Sinner: He will be among the next top three in the world

There are the dross of the battle with Djoker in Musetti’s legs and head who didn’t have time to enjoy the evening. The fourth with Sinner will have history as long as you forget the recent past and start over (We are friends, it will be fun and it will be good for all of Italian tennis). Jannik is the favorite in the standings (n. 8 but Musetti secures entry into the top 20), the predestined himDjokovic sees him in the next Big 3 together with Alcaraz and Rune: Calma – he warns -, I don’t like making predictions and there are many players who can enter the fight for the top, including Musetti.

Berrettini the negative note: what a pity the injury

At the Montecarlo party with bubbles (spumante) only missing Matthew Berrettini, forced to retire by yet another injury, always in the abdominal area (second degree injury of the oblique): hard, just now that I was finding my level of play. Next another terrible boy, the Danish Holger Rune, in a tennis that like Benjamin Button is in a hurry to rejuvenate before the next show down at Grand Slam level, Paris. In Montecarlo they have always been technical trials of the future. Our pink like the sunset on the sea.