Previously, while commenting on Lorenzo Musetti’s chances of winning a Grand Slam title in the near future, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said, “He is globally too passive. That’s why his matches during Monte-Carlo were up and down all the time because he was constantly hesitating between I’m going to go, I’m going to take my chance, I have to dictate. Or, I hope the guy is going to miss, I’m going to slice, I’m going to play up, I’m going to defend, and it’s going to work.” But he claimed that if Musetti manages his willpower and determination to go offensive most of the time and defensive on rare occasions, then his level might just go up crazily. Talking about crazy performances, well, recently, the Italian stunned America’s Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinal of the 2025 French Open. Following this impressive victory he was spotted replicating a familiar celebration. What did Musetti do after this match, though?

Well, after his 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win against Tiafoe, he was seen copying Andy Murray’s iconic celebration by flexing his muscles. 3-time Slam winner Murray did this exact bicep flex celebration after his Round of 16 win against the Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. Following that 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-4 victory against Gasquet in a 3-hour and 57-minute clash, Murray revealed the real motive behind this unique celebration.

He said, “I wanted to show that I’ve worked really hard on my condition.” He further added, “This was the best moment I’ve ever had on a tennis court. The crowd was unbelievable and got behind me when I really needed it. It was an awesome feeling. I knew I had to keep fighting because Richard was completely outplaying me.” Even in this match against Tiafoe, Lorenzo Musetti had put up a similar fight because the American was all poised to make a turnaround after losing the first set.

With this win, he has now reached the semis of all three clay Masters 1000s and Roland Garros in the same year. Andy Murray also had this feat in 2016. But the only men younger than Musetti to achieve that are Rafael Nadal (2007) and Novak Djokovic (2008). Something with not even Roger Federer had managed to do in his playing days. This is now also his second Grand Slam semifinal after having reached the last four at Wimbledon last year. What did he say after this match, though?

Lorenzo Musetti credits the birth of his son as the key to his recent success

The 23-year-old Italian star has enjoyed an excellent clay-court season so far. He reached the final at the Monte Carlo Masters, but there he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz. After that, he made it to the semis in Madrid and Rome. So far, he has won 19 of his 22 matches on the surface and has arrived in Paris with a career-best ranking of world number 7.

While talking about the secret to his success, Musetti revealed, “It’s a process of growing, not just inside the court but especially off the court. Last year, I became a father. I think that gave me an extra responsibility, and I now approach things in a more professional way, not just on the court in matches but in my daily routine. It’s important for me to be in order when I practice, and in my free time, I enjoy my time with my family. Even if they are not here, they are always with me in my heart, so this win is for them.”

He is now also one of just three Italian men in the Open Era to have reached Grand Slam semi-finals on multiple surfaces, joining his compatriots, Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini. With this win, Lorenzo Musetti is now all set to take on either Carlos Alcaraz or Tommy Paul in the SF. 

Although Musetti has a 1-5 record against the Spaniard, he did earn a few words of praise from Carlos Alcaraz after the epic final in Monte Carlo earlier this year. Speaking about the Italian, Alcaraz said, “We are going to see Lorenzo Musetti in the top 10. I think I’m sure about it, and I will see Musetti fighting for great things in our sport…I mean, he beat them and he can play really tough matches match after match after match.” Suppose these two yet again face each other for the third time this year (after Monte Carlo and Rome), who do you think will win that battle?