It's a long road back!

It has not been easy for Lorenzo...

Well, to be fair, running into Jodar twice probably does not help. First of all, it's a horrible matchup for Musetti, especially on hard courts. His game is built around variety; he needs time to set it up. Which he isn't offered by Jodar whatsoever. He is also not the best server, and while his one-handed backhand is a lot better than someone like Tsitsipas', it still tends to drop a bit short. Anyway, he's facing Daniel Altmaier now, not exactly as challenging as Jodar.

So, I watched Altmaier's opening-round match against Wong, and it looked like he was heading home fairly quickly. He was a set and an early break down before he was able to find his game and rally enough to coax errors out of Coleman Wong. I did like the fact that he was able to raise his level and sustain it rather well; it's not the easiest of matchups for him against an aggressive player like Wong. Yes, we don't really like the German on fast hardcourts, since he is very prone to being rushed. Now, that's not really how Musetti plays. As I said, he is someone who is a bit more patient and can force a lot of errors by prolonging rallies, even if he has a forehand that can do some damage as well. Musetti shares the same weakness as the German, being rushed. I do think the faster courts are definitely a positive for Altmaier in this matchup! I will mention that he did have an MTO for his right shoulder at the end of the second set, but I didn't see it really affecting him in the third set....