"Maybe prayer" - Andy Roddick on what Lorenzo Musetti needs to do stop Carlos Alcaraz's charge at the Miami Open
Carlos Alcaraz has not lost a match this month and his charge towards the ‘Sunshine Double’ at the Miami Open has earned him an admirer in Andy Roddick.
The former World No. 1 recently previewed Alcaraz’s fourth-round contest against Lorenzo Musetti for the Tennis Channel. He joked that the latter may need to offer a prayer or two if he wished to bring the Spaniard’s winning run to a stop.
Alcaraz, who lifted the Indian Wells crown a few days ago, has dropped only nine games at the Miami Open en-route to the fourth round. Roddick, impressed by his game, said the World No. 2 has the ability to play through opponents and give them a good runaround.
"Maybe prayer, uh I don't know, I think, uh listen, no disrespect to Lorenzo Musetti," Andy Roddick said about what Musetti needs to do to beat Alcaraz.
"But when Carlos Alcaraz is in full flight like where he's made gains consistently, right? Like he is gonna be there in the return games. Uh, he served 81% of his first serves today.
"Uh, Alcaraz can play through you, he can play around you, he can bring you in. So I just don't know where Lorenzo Musetti goes."
Speaking of things that Musetti will need to do differently if he were to stage an upset, Roddick said it will begin by being more aggressive and increasing the “risk profile.”
The American, however, was quick to add that going hard up-the-line on the single-handed backhand for the entire duration of the match would be asking too much of Musetti.
"You're gonna have to up your risk profile," Andy Roddick said. "Is Lorenzo Musetti just gonna wing one-handers up the line for three hours. Uh, I'm not sure."
"But like it's, it's no disrespect to him, I'm just so impressed with with what Carlos Alcaraz is bringing when he's in full flight. He can get you a number of different ways. I like Alcaraz going away," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz leads Miami Open opponent Lorezno Musetti in their head-to-head
Carlos Alcaraz currently leads Lorenzo Musetti 2-1 in their head-to-head.
Musetti’s only win over Alcaraz came in the final of the Hamburg Open in 2022. The latter, meanwhile, defeated him in the fourth round of the French Open and Round of 16 of the China Open last year.
At the Miami Open, Musetti has defeated Roman Safiullin and Ben Shelton so far. Alcaraz, meanwhile, has breezed past Gael Monfils and Roberto Carballes Baena in his opening two Miami Open encounters after a first-round bye.