Novak Djokovic used one tactic 30 times against ‘talented’ Lorenzo Musetti – ‘It was part of the plan’
Novak Djokovic from Serbia during his tennis match
Novak Djokovic adopted a different kind of game plan to exact revenge against Lorenzo Musetti at the Monte Carlo Masters and it worked a charm.
A year ago the pair met in the round of 16 at the ATP Masters 1000 event and Musetti stunned the world No 1 as he claimed a famous 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory.
Djokovic knew he had to up his game for this year’s third-round match if he was to get the better of the Italian and he initially found himself behind after going a break down as early as the opening game.
However, his decision to adopt aggressive tactics – which saw him go to the net 30 times during the one hour and 58-minute encounter – eventually paid off as he came away with a 7-5, 6-3 victory.
Asked about his net game, the 24-time Grand Slam winner replied: “Thirty times. I didn’t have a feeling that I went that many times to the net, but yeah, it was, I guess necessary to try to be as aggressive as possible, take every shorter ball as an opportunity to come in against a player like Musetti, who is very good in defending.
“He’s very quick. He’s very talented from both forehand and backhand corner. He can hurt you from inside a court but also as we have seen in some incredible points and passing shots he’s made also from far in the court.
“It was I guess part of the plan is try to take away the time, be more aggressive, be more solid. I think he started better. He was the better player for eight games. Then at 4-3, new balls, match turned around.”
One of the key moments in the game came when Djokovic played “conductor” with the spectators who got on his back, but it seemed to work in his favour as Musetti lost concentration.
He added: “Really, I had this nice interaction with the crowd, and then from that moment on, you know, he maybe lost his focus a bit, you know, made some unforced errors, and the momentum shifted.
“I feel like I, from that moment onwards, was playing better and kind of managed to, I guess, implement the kind of game that I really want tactically. But it was very physical. Struggling a bit on the court as well today, myself. But I like the way I’m playing in terms of comparison to last year. You know, I think I’m playing better tennis.
“It’s a process. You know, hopefully I can keep on winning day after day, but I know what the big goal is and where I want to play my best tennis in terms of clay season. So, you know, still weeks to come. So far I’m enjoying the way I’m playing.”
But typically it wasn’t just his net game and “conductor” skills that were on form as he was once again brilliant on defence.
“I’m striking the ball very well. I also put in a lot of work the last two, three weeks with my team and the movement, really working on the positioning on the court,” he explained.
“So of course I need to be equally good in defending and also attacking on this surface. It’s the most demanding surface in sport. Physically, mentally, and also game-wise, you have to expect an extra ball coming from across the net always comparing to other surfaces.”
