Novak Djokovic exacted revenge on Lorenzo Musetti, the young Italian who stunned him last year, with a 7-5, 6-3 victory in the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters quarterfinals.
Musetti, now 22, had upset an out-of-form Djokovic in 2023, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion was in far better shape this time around. Djokovic rallied from a break down in the first set and never looked back, advancing in just under two hours.
Djokovic, who had declared himself “not scared of anything or anybody” ahead of the rematch, showed no signs of rust after sitting out the Miami Open. He had demolished Roman Safiullin in his first match in Monte Carlo and was eager to prove that last year’s early exit was an aberration.
Musetti, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 15 last June, opened the match with a break of serve and threatened to take a 4-1 double-break lead. However, Djokovic held on and charged back, leveling the set and ultimately winning seven of the next eight games.
Musetti managed to break back and get on the board, but Djokovic kept pressing and broke serve again to move within two games of victory. Musetti saved break points to avoid a double-break deficit and pulled off some audacious shotmaking to get the set back on serve.
Undeterred, Djokovic regained his lead and served for the match. With three match points in hand, he only needed one as Musetti erred long off the forehand.
Up next for Djokovic is No. 11 seed Alex de Minaur, who defeated fellow Aussie Alexei Popyrin in straight sets. De Minaur has been one of the most consistent players of 2024 and will pose a significant challenge to Djokovic.
