Musetti is back!

The Italian was devastated after his retirement against Djokovic; he himself said he was playing the best tennis of his life and it was hard to end on that note.

But he also says that his motivation is even higher than before, that he’s going to use this injury to come back better! Always a top-notch mentality, and if his rhythm comes back quickly then he’ll soon be a title contender again. His record at Indian Wells isn’t too bad considering the recent progress he’s made on hard courts; he should improve that record in the coming years, especially given the conditions here, it seems like a perfect hard court for him: slow with a fairly high bounce, he can produce his best tennis. I expect him to be very strong despite a short absence, I’m not worried. For his comeback he’s going to face Fucsovics and you can say that’s a good test, the Hungarian is tough from the baseline and always fights well, you really have to beat him. There were easier first rounds, sure, but basically if Musetti plays at 80% of his level I see him winning this very often.

Fucsovics beat O’Connell, he played well on his side but there was nothing at all on the other side of the net, no way to hit through him and a huge number of errors, Musetti is not that kind of profile at all. The Italian is even more solid from the baseline than Fucso and lethal with his forehand now, the only risk is that he might take some time to find his bearings again after his injury...