“I didn't want to retire because it didn't feel right towards the people who came here to see me” – Lorenzo Musetti on playing through panic attack in front of home crowd at Firenze Open
Lorenzo Musetti was defeated by Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals of the Firenze Open on Saturday. In the post-match press conference, Musetti revealed that he suffered a panic attack midway through.
The Italian, who was hoping to perform well in his home country, said that he played through the panic attack as he did not want to disappoint the crowd that had come to cheer him on in Florence.
"I have never suffered from panic attacks, but it is something that you cannot overcome during the match. It takes time to go back to normal. I didn't want to retire because it didn't feel right towards the people who came here to see me," he said.
Lorenzo Musetti went on to divulge more details of the episode and labeled it “a psychological thing."
"It's a stomach ache, a blockage of the diaphragm, I don't know how to define it; you need no advice from doctors or nuclear scientists (laughs), it is a physiological thing. It was as if no air entered the lungs, an important burden to carry during the game," he said.
Musetti further claimed that the episode impacted his physical abilities. The 20-year-old expressed sadness at the loss, but vowed to take the positives from it. He also credited Auger-Aliassime for playing incredibly well.
“It affected me enough, even if I don't want to take away any credit from Felix who immediately started playing really well and bothering me with his game. Surely, I wasn't at my best from a physical point of view. I am bitter. I will try to find the positive side of this defeat," he said.
Felix Auger-Aliassime registered a 6-2, 6-3 victory over the home favorite to advance to his third final of the season. He will contest the title match against American J.J. Wolf on Sunday.
A look at how Lorenzo Musetti has fared in 2022
Lorenzo Musetti has had a breakthrough 2022 season. The Italian started the year by making the quarterfinals at the Chennai Open, the Rotterdam Open, and the Grand Prix Hassan II. He then won the challenger title in Forli (Italy) before lifting his maiden tour trophy at the ATP 500 Hamburg event, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
The Italian went on to reach a career-high ranking of World No. 27 on 3 October 2022, after which he made two back-to-back semifinals at the Sofia Open and the Firenze Open. He is expected to reach a new career-high of World No. 24 when the rankings are refreshed on Monday, October 17.
Lorenzo Musetti is next scheduled to play in the Tennis Napoli Cup, followed by the Swiss Indoors Basel and Rolex Paris Masters. He would then contest the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan between November 8-12.