Lorenzo Musetti highlights the key disadvantage he has when playing Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Lorenzo Musetti was looking to advance to a Grand Slam final for the first time in his career.

The Italian star has been in fine form this year and impressed during the early rounds at Roland Garros.

Winning his opening two matches in straight sets, Musetti won his next three in four, booking his spot in the semi-finals.

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There, he came up against Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him recently at both the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Italian Open.

Unable to turn the tide of their rivalry, Musetti lost to Alcaraz 6-4, 6-7, 0-6, 0-2 (RET), failing in his bid to reach the final.

After the match, the 23-year-old explained why he is at a disadvantage when playing the likes of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Lorenzo Musetti says his one-handed backhand puts him at a disadvantage against Carlos Alcaraz

During his post-match press conference, Musetti highlighted the key disadvantage he has to contend with when playing Alcaraz and Sinner.

“Physically, with the one-handed backhand it’s not easy, you know, to deal with players like Carlos [Alcaraz] or Jannik [Sinner],” he said.

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“So, of course, physically, for me, it was really intense, and then I was feeling this kind of problem. So definitely hard enough.”

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Musetti retired just two games into the fourth set with an injury to his left thigh, having started so strongly in the semi-final.

Looking back to the beginning of the match, Musetti assessed his level compared to how he played in the earlier rounds.

“I think we both started really well, hitting the ball well. I had to play probably my best level of the tournament, you know, to stay there with him,” he said.

“I felt today, honestly, a step 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 happy about that. That’s a step forward, you know, because the last two matches were a little bit, you know, one way.

“I felt that today, I had my chances, even to try to go two sets up. But of course, Carlos, he’s playing really well, he’s in really great shape, and he deserves to go in the final.”

Match Winner Loser Score 2025 French Open – SF Carlos Alcaraz Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 7-6, 6-0, 2-0 (RET) 2025 Italian Open – SF Carlos Alcaraz Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters – F Carlos Alcaraz Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 2024 Miami Open – 4R Carlos Alcaraz Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-3 2023 Beijing – 2R Carlos Alcaraz Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 6-2 2023 French Open – 4R Carlos Alcaraz Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 2022 Hamburg Open – F Lorenzo Musetti Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti’s head-to-head record

Musetti was then asked how difficult it is to compete with Alcaraz physically.

“Of course, it’s difficult. It’s probably, right now, if not the toughest challenge in our sport, [it’s] one of them,” he answered.

“He’s really really aggressive so I always have to stay there.”

Can players still compete with a one-handed backhand?

Musetti is currently the top-ranked player on the ATP Tour who uses a one-handed backhand.

The shot, while arguably more aesthetically pleasing than the two-handed alternative, has become less effective in recent years as the game develops.

Rank ATP Rank Name Points 1 7 Lorenzo Musetti 3,860 2 17 Grigor Dimitrov 2,595 3 20 Stefanos Tsitsipas 2,270 4 31 Denis Shapovalov 1,701 5 37 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 1,414 6 66 Daniel Altmaier 906 7 76 Aleksandar Kovacevic 799 8 82 Christopher O’Connell 762 9 105 Christopher Eubanks 558 10 125 Dusan Lajovic 466 Top-ranked one-handed backhand players

No active player using a one-handed backhand has won a Major title during their career, although Stefanos Tsitsipas came close in 2021 when he led by two sets to love in the Roland Garros final.

Austria’s Dominic Thiem was the last player to win a Grand Slam using the shot, beating Alexander Zverev in the 2020 US Open final.

The reality is that the stress on the wrists playing a one-handed backhand compared to a two-handed backhand is much more severe.

Over the course of three or four sets, fatigue sets in far quicker, and errors can often creep in.

That’s not to say players can’t still enjoy success with the shot, as Musetti has proven in 2025 just how effective he can be.

It may, however, explain why against the very best players in the men’s game, who hit the ball hardest, the one-handed backhand falls just short.

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