World No. 9 Lorenzo Musetti may be relatively young and one of the better players in the men's game at the moment, but insists that he "would not recommend" to any kid who is starting to play tennis.
Currently, there is only one top-10 player with a one-handed backhand – it's Musetti. So far this year, the 23-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season after making his maiden Masters final in Monte Carlo – reaching the French Open semifinal – as well as achieving a career-high ranking of No. 6 in the world. Also, the Italian tennis star is set for his debut at the ATP Finals.
Evidently, Musetti has a game to compete extremely well and make notable results. But while certain tennis purists admire him purely because of his one-handed backhand, the two-time ATP champion admits that if his son wanted to get into tennis, he would want him to play a two-handed backhand.
"I wouldn't recommend a one-handed backhand to a child starting out because modern tennis is really tough… When it comes to my son, I would want him to have a two-handed backhand," the ninth-ranked ATP player explained.
Lorenzo Musetti:
"I wouldn't recommend a one-handed backhand to a child starting out because modern tennis is really tough… when it comes to my son, I would want him to have a two-handed backhand."
[ATP Athens press] pic.twitter.com/n7dglRVZJA
— Swish 🍒 Tennis (@Zwxsh) November 8, 2025
Musetti earned praise from Novak Djokovic
On Saturday, Musetti fell just short of landing his third ATP title after Djokovic edged him out in the Athens final 4-6 6-3 7-5.
“An incredible battle… Three hours of a gruelling match, physically. It could have been anybody's match, so congrats to Lorenzo for an amazing performance. I’m just very proud of myself to get through this one," Djokovic said afterward.
Musetti needed to defeat Djokovic to beat out Felix Auger-Aliassime for the last ATP Finals spot. Despite the loss, the Italian is set to play at the ATP Finals after Djokovic told him at the net that he was withdrawing from Turin.
