Lorenzo Musetti gives honest verdict about Novak Djokovic's level after being crushed at Miami Open
Lorenzo Musetti opened up about his experience of playing against Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of the Miami Open. The Italian believed that the 24-time Grand Slam champion somehow leveled up from their previous battles and was "truly unplayable".
On Tuesday, March 25, Djokovic took on Musetti in the fourth round of the Miami Open. The Serb led the head-to-head record between them 7-1, but on their current form, it was anyone's game.
Djokovic, however, was a level above Musetti in every department. He asserted his superiority with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 win to extend his head-to-head lead to 8-1. After the match, Musetti spoke to Sky Sports and made the revelation that the six-time Miami Open champion was somehow improving since their last matches.
"Compared to the other eight times I faced him, I think Djokovic grew even more yesterday. It's hard to believe and to imagine, but that's the feeling I had on the court," Lorenzo Musetti said (translated from Italian).
"Apart from the beginning of the match, where I had managed to get into better gear, from a certain point onwards I was no longer able to hurt him from the back of the court. Nole was always returning and served a great percentage of first serves: for a certain point, he was truly unplayable," he added.
Further, Musetti revealed that he will move on to the clay season and hoped to play at the Monte-Carlo Masters next.
Serena Williams and Martin del Potro were in attendance for Novak Djokovic's clash against Lorenzo Musetti at the Miami Open
Serena Williams and Juan Martin del Potro attended Novak Djokovic's fourth-round clash against the 15th seed, Lorenzo Musetti, at the Miami Open. Del Potro soaked in the atmosphere from the Serb's box while Williams watched from the stands.
"I was starstruck! It was amazing to see first Del Potro, obviously a long-time friend and a rival, so happy to have him around and get his support from the box. It was amazing, it was [the] first time to have Del Potro in the box, so I want to thank him really for coming," Djokovic said in his on-court interview (via ATPTour.com). "And Serena, that was a surprise. I didn't know."
Fourth seed Djokovic will now turn his attention to the quarterfinal against 24th seed Sebastian Korda. The American is finding his feet in Miami this season after he started 2025 well with a runner-up finish in Adelaide but lost his way. He has defeated the ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Gael Monfils to reach the quarterfinals in Miami.
This will be the second battle between Korda and Djokovic, with the Serb leading their head-to-head 1-0.