Just four months ago, a heartbroken Lorenzo Musetti walked off Rod Laver Arena in tears, withdrawing from his AO quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic while leading 6-4, 6-3, 1-3; a moment that crushed both fans and the Italian star himself. However, redemption has arrived at the Foro Italico at last, where Musetti battled through pain against Francisco Cerundolo. Overwhelmed with emotion, he broke down in tears after an epic triumph, proving resilience can rewrite destiny.

“Suffering from the beginning. I was expecting a tough match. And it was a really tough match with a friend,” Musetti said when asked about the key to winning. For the Argentine, Cerundolo, his Italian Open run ended on Sunday, falling to home favorite Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(7) and 6-4 in the third round.

The match posed a sharp test for Cerundolo, the No. 25 seed, who came into the day after a dominant second-round victory over Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo. Against Musetti, however, the margins were much narrower. The opening set became the decisive passage, with the Italian holding his nerve in a tense tiebreak before closing out the second set to reach the fourth round.

“He can play really, really well on this surface. Of course, I had the crowd as an advantage, and I think I dealt with that pretty well,” Musetti added. “I managed to finish with some… not really 100% condition… but already thinking about resting and playing the next match.”

When asked whether his “not 100% condition” referred to health or something else, the Italian clarified, “No, no. I was talking about the physical condition. I started cramping. It wasn’t easy for me to find a way to deal with that, but in the end, I think I managed to stay there and to fight. That was the only key of today.”

Musetti has a history of recurring physical challenges, which have led to high-profile retirements in long, high-stakes matches. Last year, he retired against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 French Open due to a left leg injury.

Earlier this year at the Australian Open, he survived a five-set thriller against Tomáš Macháč and then dispatched Taylor Fritz to reach the quarter-finals, only to be forced to withdraw afterward.

Reflecting on his physical struggles after the Rome win on Tennis Channel, the 24-year-old shared, “I think there was a lot of up and down throughout the match. In general, I think we both played some games really well, and others maybe had a little too many unfortunate errors. But I managed to go through the pain and the suffering, and at the end, also some cramps.”

Musetti also noted that having his family in the player’s box made the victory even sweeter. “The kids and my parents and some close friends… they’re always screaming from the stands, and I can recognize their voices.”

Advancing to the R16, Musetti now faces Casper Ruud, a formidable opponent on clay. And perhaps, his physical limitations before the Italian Open were clear, as he himself disclosed before the tournament’s start.

Lorenzo Musetti reveals ongoing injury struggles at Italian Open

The 24-year-old Italian has been recovering from an injury that complicated the start of his season, and it took time for results to arrive, causing him to drop in the rankings.

After the Australian Open, he withdrew from the South American swing before returning for the Sunshine Double. At Indian Wells, he suffered a second-round defeat, and in Miami, an arm injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament.

His clay-court swing started at the Monte Carlo Masters with a disastrous R32 loss, followed by a quarterfinal in Barcelona and an R16 exit at the Madrid Open. This week at the Italian Open, he must reach the semifinals to avoid falling out of the top 10.

“I’m trying to understand how much it is psychological and how much it is physical pain,” Musetti said regarding his performance on Sunday at the Foro Italico. “I think there are some things, some dynamics that need to stay in the team. What I said before about my physical condition—I didn’t hide anything. I just said that I’m not at 100% yet.”

He also shared more about the pain he is enduring: “I had some problems in the days before the start of the game. So I had to slow down a bit, both in terms of training and in terms of the game. I had to play with a bandage to prevent certain things.”

The eighth seed has a 6-3 record on clay this year, showing glimpses of his top form despite the ongoing physical challenges. He is aiming to become the first Italian champion in Rome since Adriano Panatta in 1976, a feat that would mark a historic moment for his home crowd.

Before he can lift the trophy at his home tournament, however, the question remains: will he be able to overcome Casper Ruud while managing his physical vulnerabilities?