Now or never

Indoors is the best chance for Mpetshi to beat Musetti, and I’ll add that the Italian is tense—this could come into play!

So yeah, I was telling you about Musetti’s obsession with the ATP Finals. In my opinion he’s too focused on it, and it’s going to do him more harm than good at this stage of the season. Elie was wondering if it might actually be a big source of motivation; sure, he wants to play in Turin and he’ll give everything to reach his dream. But that dream is turning into a nightmare— that’s what he said after his win over Hanfmann today. His interview is almost surreal for a guy who could qualify for the ATP Finals; he says he’s been thinking about it nonstop since Wimbledon and he’s forcing himself to play every week, every possible tournament to get there. He says he’s tired, and that alone would’ve been enough for me to keep laying him, but he also added that the speed of these courts doesn’t suit him. Not exactly a surprise—he likes to have time and set up his game. All the warning lights are flashing red on his side, but mentally the Italian is elite. He just needs to hang on for a few more weeks and he can still make it by grinding it out. He’s up 4/0 against Mpetshi; we know the matchup by heart—his defense and return quality are just too good for our Frenchman. But like I said, this is a dream opportunity for Mpetshi indoors; it’s so much faster than anywhere they’ve played! And if, on top of that, Musetti is tense mentally and we end up with high-pressure TBs, then I’m Team Mpetshi.