Musetti’s Injury Sidelines Clay Campaign
Lorenzo Musetti’s surge at the Australian Open ends in pain, pulling him from Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro as recovery takes center stage over red-dirt dreams.
Lorenzo Musetti‘s Instagram post landed like a dropped set point, announcing his withdrawal from the South American clay swing. The Italian, riding high after a breakthrough in Melbourne, now faces the quiet grind of rehab instead of baseline battles on slower surfaces. His upper-right leg injury, which flared during a tense quarterfinal, has forced this pause, reshaping a season that started with promise.
In Melbourne, Musetti had the Australian Open crowd on edge, leading Novak Djokovic two sets to love with sharp inside-out forehands that exploited the Serb’s positioning. The No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings, he was breaking through his own barriers, advancing past the third round for the first time there after a Hong Kong final. But the leg buckled mid-third set, turning potential glory into a hurried exit.
“After the results of my medical examinations and tests, my team and I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the upcoming tournaments in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro,” Musetti wrote on Instagram. “My focus right now is on my rehabilitation so I can return to the court. Thank you to everyone for their support and hope to see you soon.”
Melbourne’s High Fades to Caution
Musetti’s 7-2 season record entering the fortnight spoke of momentum, his one-handed backhand slicing crosscourt to disrupt rhythms in early rounds. Against Djokovic, he mixed heavy topspin forehands down-the-line with drop shots that tested the champion’s movement, the Rod Laver Arena lights catching the ball’s arc in those electric opening sets. That injury, though, exposed the physical cost of his aggressive transitions, pulling him from the court and now from the Rio Open presented by Claro, an ATP 500 starting February 16.
The withdrawal stings deeper on clay, where Musetti’s game finds its natural flow through prolonged rallies and high-bouncing topspin. He had eyed the IEB+ Argentina Open, an ATP 250 from February 9, as a chance to build on his elegant strokes amid Buenos Aires’ passionate fans. Instead, medical advice prioritizes healing, a tactical reset that could sharpen his return but tests the mental edge honed in Melbourne’s pressure cooker.
Clay Courts Wait for Recovery
Skipping these events disrupts Musetti’s points chase, yet it guards against deeper setbacks on surfaces demanding lateral slides and endurance. His inside-in forehands, so lethal on hard courts, would have thrived against clay grinders, potentially extending his 7-2 surge into title contention. The humid Rio air, thick with baseline exchanges, now stays out of reach, leaving him to channel frustration into focused rehab sessions.
As the No. 5 player, Musetti’s path forward blends caution with the fire that nearly toppled Djokovic. This pause invites reflection on pacing his ascent, ensuring his one–two patterns of serve and forehand regain bite without reinjury. When he steps back onto the tour, the circuit anticipates a stylist reborn, his resilience turning this detour into deeper resolve for 2026‘s unfolding battles.
