Monte-Carlo Masters 2023 QF: Lorenzo Musetti vs Jannik Sinner

[Rattie]

I would say yes, but Sinner is on fire. Mus could have gotten a break back though

Thanks for that
Nice to know Jannik is on form.

 

[Kralingen]

It finally feels like a normal era. Djokovic and Nadal crippled by old age and injuries, the young guns firing off missiles at each other. We may have an interesting 2020s yet. Of course, at the Slams it all changes.

Il Mago vs Il Rosso is a nice little rivalry.

 

[InsuranceMan]

It finally feels like a normal era. Djokovic and Nadal crippled by old age and injuries, the young guns firing off missiles at each other. We may have an interesting 2020s yet. Of course, at the Slams it all changes.

Il Mago vs Il Rosso is a nice little rivalry.

Don’t do that. Don’t give me hope.

 

[InsuranceMan]

Return again seems to be the key difference here. Sinner is 100% on both Lorenzo’s 2nd serve AND 1st serve. Insane. It doesn’t sound right, but TennisTv stats say so and I haven’t seen him miss a single one. Musetti is winning 30% of all his second serve points. Just can’t hurt Sinner at all with his serve, he’s got all the answers right now and I don’t think it’s enough of a weapon

 

[The Fedfather]

Return again seems to be the key difference here. Sinner is 100% on both Lorenzo’s 2nd serve AND 1st serve. Insane. It doesn’t sound right, but TennisTv stats say so and I haven’t seen him miss a single one. Musetti is winning 30% of all his second serve points. Just can’t hurt Sinner at all with his serve, he’s got all the answers right now and I don’t think it’s enough of a weapon

Sinner's RoS is amazing, and on clay the advantage is even more highlighted

 

[Chanwan]

Crafty drops from Musetti, really didn’t think he had that level of feel those were incredible difficulty wise.

Side note MC in good weather is just gorgeous. Emphasis on the in good weather part

I think Musetti might have the best touch on tour tbh

 

[Rattie]

A few wild shots from Jannik giving up break point.

 

[Chanwan]

Return again seems to be the key difference here. Sinner is 100% on both Lorenzo’s 2nd serve AND 1st serve. Insane. It doesn’t sound right, but TennisTv stats say so and I haven’t seen him miss a single one. Musetti is winning 30% of all his second serve points. Just can’t hurt Sinner at all with his serve, he’s got all the answers right now and I don’t think it’s enough of a weapon

Sinner's return is soooo great. Imagine what would happen when his serve gets as good as it should be for his height? Scary

 

[middleballs]

Really dig both, but Sinner will win in two. This is his best shot at winning a Masters since Miami in 21, he better take it.

 

[Kralingen]

Puts into perspective just how god awful Djoker was yesterday, Musetti looks helpless

 

[dking68]

Anyone thinks that Sinner is better on clay than HC? He doesn’t think so but with the serve being nullified on clay it seems like he’s better suited for it

 

[Pmasterfunk]

Sinner holds, but maybe Musetti is waking up a bit? Seems like he's moving Sinner around a bit more now.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Horrible game from Musetti. This should be over shortly. Sinner just attacking his BH at will.

 

[Pmasterfunk]

Sinner holds, but maybe Musetti is waking up a bit? Seems like he's moving Sinner around a bit more now.

Never mind

 

[Chanwan]

Puts into perspective just how god awful Djoker was yesterday, Musetti looks helpless

Sinner hits with a ton of power, Djokovic looked like Wozniacki powerwise

 

[dking68]

Sinner's return is soooo great. Imagine what så happen when his serve gets as good as it should be for his height? Scary

Number one. Alcaraz won’t have it so easy winning big title. In fact he may overshadow him on faster courts

 

[The Fedfather]

Sinner blasting the FH. People say he's too skinny, but he's got that max muscle efficiency

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

Puts into perspective just how god awful Djoker was yesterday, Musetti looks helpless

Yeah Musetti is not there yet, top 20-25 player on slow courts, lower on faster surfaces.

 

[InsuranceMan]

Sinner blasting the FH. People say he's too skinny, but he's got that max muscle efficiency

Leverage is pretty overpowered

 

[Rozroz]

goodbye the great Musetti!

 

[InsuranceMan]

Yeah Musetti is not there yet, top 25-30 player on slow courts, lower on faster surfaces.

Put him above or below Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on clay?

 

[dking68]

Yeah Musetti is not there yet, top 20-25 player on slow courts, lower on faster surfaces.

Top 25 on slow courts? Really

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

Put him above or below Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on clay?

Fokina is so inconsistent, hard to say.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Musetti needs to change into this to shock Sinner to start missing.

 

[albertobra]

Sinner hits with a ton of power, Djokovic looked like Wozniacki powerwise

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

Top 25 on slow courts? Really

You would put him higher ?

 

[InsuranceMan]

Musetti’s shoulder and arm starting to loosen up a bit, better length on strokes. Also Sinner’s coverage backhand side is an underrated asset, guy can go open stance slide on all surfaces and still hit a decent ball despite having to swing across the body, which is really tough. Helps make movement a more efficient

 

[dking68]

You would put him higher ?

On really slow clay yeah? Didn’t he take 2 sets from Djokovic and Tsitsipas at FO 21’ and 22’ respectively and beat Alcaraz on clay?

 

[InsuranceMan]

Class sportsmanship

 

[Kralingen]

problem for sinner is this style isn’t gonna work against Nadal (or to a lesser extent, Djoker). They can absorb big groundstrokes all day long, it doesn’t bother them at all, especially Rafa. You need that extra bit of X factor, be it a huge serve, a transition game, something more.

Now I don’t think Djok/Nadal are anywhere near form yet but by Rome we will get a better picture

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

On really slow clay yeah? Didn’t he take 2 sets from Djokovic and Tsitsipas at FO 21’ and 22’ respectively and beat Alcaraz on clay?

Ok top 15 then, expected him to make things harder for Sinner though , it's not even Sinner's best surface. Doesn't look good for a potential rivalry.

 

[dking68]

Ok top 15 then, expected him to make things harder for Sinner though , it's not even Sinner's best surface. Doesn't look good for a potential rivalry.

Actually some analysts have been saying it’s his best surface cause the serve is nullified and he returns so well. He personally doesn’t think so but his win percentage on clay is very similar to hard court

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

problem for sinner is this style isn’t gonna work against Nadal (or to a lesser extent, Djoker). They can absorb big groundstrokes all day long, it doesn’t bother them at all, especially Rafa. You need that extra bit of X factor, be it a huge serve, a transition game, something more.

Now I don’t think Djok/Nadal are anywhere near form yet but by Rome we will get a better picture

Doesn't work against Medvedev either.

 

[InsuranceMan]

problem for sinner is this style isn’t gonna work against Nadal (or to a lesser extent, Djoker). They can absorb big groundstrokes all day long, it doesn’t bother them at all, especially Rafa. You need that extra bit of X factor, be it a huge serve, a transition game, something more.

Now I don’t think Djok/Nadal are anywhere near form yet but by Rome we will get a better picture

Will be the challenge for Cahill & Co. as hes consolidating the level difference between him and lower top 20 guys

 

[Chanwan]

Number one. Alcaraz won’t have it so easy winning big title. In fact he may overshadow him on faster courts

We shall see soon enough, but he does have the height advantage & should have a clear serve advantage sooner rather than later. Alcaraz, Sinner, Rune - they might be our new "big 3"

 

[Chanwan]

problem for sinner is this style isn’t gonna work against Nadal (or to a lesser extent, Djoker). They can absorb big groundstrokes all day long, it doesn’t bother them at all, especially Rafa. You need that extra bit of X factor, be it a huge serve, a transition game, something more.

Now I don’t think Djok/Nadal are anywhere near form yet but by Rome we will get a better picture

I get what you're saying but think RG 2009. Massive groundies of both win (and a big serve) took Rafa down. Rafa's significantly slower now & Sinner returns a lot better than the Sod.

I honestly don't see why this kind of power can't hit winners, force errors & short replies against current Rafa

 

[Kralingen]

I get what you're saying but think RG 2009. Massive groundies of both win (and a big serve) took Rafa down. Rafa's significantly slower now & Sinner returns a lot better than the Sod.

I honestly don't see why this kind of power can't hit winners, force errors & short replies against current Rafa

I just see Zverev-Nadal 2.0. Looks great for a while until it doesn’t and Sinner gets passed 4 times in a row, flummoxed by the slice, and loses.

Heck this exact script happened in RG 21 already, I don’t even need a hypothetical. Jannik was up a break multiple sets and fell apart

 

[dking68]

I just see Zverev-Nadal 2.0. Looks great for a while until it doesn’t and Sinner gets passed 4 times in a row, flummoxed by the slice, and loses.

Heck this exact script happened in RG 21 already, I don’t even need a hypothetical. Jannik was up a break multiple sets and fell apart

He was like 18 at the time or so? He wasn’t used to playing such a top dog in his living room. Give him time to breathe

 

[Chanwan]

Actually some analysts have been saying it’s his best surface cause the serve is nullified and he returns so well. He personally doesn’t think so but his win percentage on clay is very similar to hard court

Clay over the past 52 weeks: 78,9 %
HC: 73,8 % (presume it's including indoor) - enough to make him 4th best!

Win/Loss Index | ATP Tour | Tennis

In-depth data analysis of the performance of ATP Tour players. Featuring year-to-date, 52-week, and career data for the top players in men's professional tennis.

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Win/Loss Index | ATP Tour | Tennis

In-depth data analysis of the performance of ATP Tour players. Featuring year-to-date, 52-week, and career data for the top players in men's professional tennis.

www.atptour.com

I was skeptical the other day, but you might be on to something despite his titles and finals almost exclusively coming on HC. One thing is for certain: He can play very well on both (as can Carlos)

 

[dking68]

Clay over the past 52 weeks: 78,9 %
HC: 73,8 % (presume it's including indoor) - enough to make him 4th best!

Win/Loss Index | ATP Tour | Tennis

In-depth data analysis of the performance of ATP Tour players. Featuring year-to-date, 52-week, and career data for the top players in men's professional tennis.

www.atptour.com

Win/Loss Index | ATP Tour | Tennis

In-depth data analysis of the performance of ATP Tour players. Featuring year-to-date, 52-week, and career data for the top players in men's professional tennis.

www.atptour.com

I was skeptical the other day, but you might be on to something despite his titles and finals almost exclusively coming on HC. One thing is for certain: He can play very well on both (as can Carlos)

He literally blew Alcaraz off the court in the Umag final in the last 2 sets. That’s why I was inclined to believe he could actually be better on clay

 

[Rovesciarete]

problem for sinner is this style isn’t gonna work against Nadal (or to a lesser extent, Djoker). They can absorb big groundstrokes all day long, it doesn’t bother them at all, especially Rafa. You need that extra bit of X factor, be it a huge serve, a transition game, something more.

Now I don’t think Djok/Nadal are anywhere near form yet but by Rome we will get a better picture

Well it is going to work if executed well enough. But Jannik is also becoming more and more rounded.

 

[Chanwan]

I just see Zverev-Nadal 2.0. Looks great for a while until it doesn’t and Sinner gets passed 4 times in a row, flummoxed by the slice, and loses.

Heck this exact script happened in RG 21 already, I don’t even need a hypothetical. Jannik was up a break multiple sets and fell apart

Sinner was 19 the 3 times he played Rafa. First time he was no. 75, in Rome and RG 21 he was just hovering around top 20.

Now he's 8th in the live ranking, 3rd in the race, has an 18-4 (81,8 %) match record on clay over the past 52 weeks (MC included) and has improved every aspect of his game. He still has holes and further room for improvement, sure, but his serve has improved, his net game has improved, his ability to play the right shot has improved, movement is better etc.

Plus: Rafa is also older and more vulnerable.

Conclusion: Sinner to take out Rafa at the FO (should Fritz fail ;-))

Edit: Zverev has a better serve (when on) and a better BH (when at its best). But Sinners forehand is so much better it's not even funny. And generally speaking he hits the ball a ton bigger than Z and returns better too

 

[Chanwan]

He literally blew Alcaraz off the court in the Umag final in the last 2 sets. That’s why I was inclined to believe he could actually be better on clay

I remember. Alcaraz did go away a bit after losing a very, very long service game (or not getting a break in a very long game) early in the second. Still impressive though

 

[robyrolfo]

Sinner blasting the FH. People say he's too skinny, but he's got that max muscle efficiency

People who think strength of shot is directly related to muscle mass need to watch more tennis (and sports in general). Plenty of examples, with Giorgi being one of the more obvious ones in the WTA. She's really quite small compared to many of the other women, but hits consistently way harder.

Also Sinner’s coverage backhand side is an underrated asset, guy can go open stance slide on all surfaces and still hit a decent ball despite having to swing across the body, which is really tough. Helps make movement a more efficient

This! His ability to dig out those tough angles and put back a really high quality ball is underrated. And he moves better than people give him credit for.

problem for sinner is this style isn’t gonna work against Nadal (or to a lesser extent, Djoker). They can absorb big groundstrokes all day long, it doesn’t bother them at all, especially Rafa. You need that extra bit of X factor, be it a huge serve, a transition game, something more.

I don't think Nadal can absorb nearly as much these days, especially over 5 sets. Novak is questionable as well lately. Plus, Sinner's groundstrokes have that little bit extra that most others do not have.

Sometimes I think people forget (myself included) just how hard Sinner hits, but then you turn on his match and you think, "whoa." His power really stands out, even among other powerful hitters.

 

[dking68]

I remember. Alcaraz did go away a bit after losing a very, very long service game (or not getting a break in a very long game) early in the second. Still impressive though

Yeah man. Should win this title I think and definitely a top 5 contender on clay

 

[TheNachoMan]

Musetti exposed. Told ya that Djokovic played like hot garbage.

 

[dking68]

I remember. Alcaraz did go away a bit after losing a very, very long service game (or not getting a break in a very long game) early in the second. Still impressive though

Oh and @Chanwan the 4 losses for sinner on clay, he was injured with foot blisters and a retirement due to knee injury to Rublev (where he had his best chance to make his maiden GS final)

 

[Chanwan]

Musetti exposed. Told ya that Djokovic played like hot garbage.

tell that to @clayqueen, Djoko played great (if you ask her)

 

[TheNachoMan]

tell that to @clayqueen, Djoko played great (if you ask her)

@Rosstour tells me it was a great match too. lol

 

[DSH]

I just see Zverev-Nadal 2.0. Looks great for a while until it doesn’t and Sinner gets passed 4 times in a row, flummoxed by the slice, and loses.

Heck this exact script happened in RG 21 already, I don’t even need a hypothetical. Jannik was up a break multiple sets and fell apart

Sinner had the advantage in the first set only of the 2021 match.
For the rest, Nadal was far superior to the Italian despite not playing a great tournament.