Musetti explains his decision to retire during Roland Garros semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz

Lorenzo Musetti’s dream of reaching his first Grand Slam final came to an abrupt end when he retired during his Roland Garros semifinal match against Carlos Alcaraz. The Italian, who cited muscle issues as the reason, was forced to bow out in the fourth set.

Musetti started strong, taking the first set 6-4 in an impressive display. The second set saw a thrilling battle, culminating in a tiebreak where Alcaraz prevailed 7-6(3). However, Musetti’s struggles with a left leg injury became evident in the third set, as Alcaraz dominated 6-0.

Down 2-0 in the fourth set, Musetti made the tough decision to retire due to his worsening condition. Reflecting on the match, he expressed mixed emotions. “I’m really sad and disappointed how it ended, but still a great match,” Musetti said.

“I felt at the beginning of the third when I was serving, I started losing a little bit of strength on the left leg behind, and definitely was going worse and worse, so I decided to stop,” he explained.

While the decision wasn’t easy, Musetti stood by it. “I think it was the right decision to make, even if it was not what I wanted,” he added. “Tomorrow I will do exams, and I will of course see and evaluate the situation”.

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Musetti reflects on the match

The World No. 7 acknowledged that facing Alcaraz required him to play at his absolute best. While he managed to match the Spaniard’s intensity in the first two sets, his injury made it impossible to maintain that level.

“I think we both started really, really well, hitting the ball really well. Of course, I had to play probably my best level of the tournament to stay there with him,” Musetti shared. “I felt today honestly I stepped forward on my level. I felt closer to his level”.

“I maintained the high level that we showed for two hours or whatever. So [I’m] really, really happy about that. That’s a step forward because the last two matches were a little bit one way,” he continued. “I felt that today I had my chances to even try to go two sets up, but of course Carlos, he’s playing really well. He’s in really great shape. He deserves to go to the final”.

Alcaraz reacts to Musetti’s retirement

Carlos Alcaraz admitted that advancing due to an opponent’s injury is never ideal. “It’s never great getting through or winning a match like this,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.

He also praised Musetti’s clay-court season and wished him a speedy recovery. “Lorenzo is a great player. He has had an incredible clay season,” he added. “[He is] one of the few players who achieved at least the semi-finals at all the biggest events on clay. I think just four players had done that before… I always wish him all the best, a quick recovery, and hopefully we are going to enjoy his tennis pretty soon”.

Alcaraz advanced to his second Roland Garros final, where he will have the chance to defend the title he won last season. He awaits the winner of the semifinal clash between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, who will battle for their spot in the championship match.