"He clearly called the MTO on purpose to make Lorenzo lose the concentration": Musetti's coach slams Rune as tennis fans react negatively to comments
ATP
Following the final between Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune at the 2023 Queen's Club Championships. Musetti's coach had some choice words for Rune, which prompted a negative reaction from tennis fans worldwide.
Rune defeated Musetti in their quarterfinal encounter, but there was much drama during the match. The Danish star took a medical timeout citing problems with his wrist, a move that was branded as "insincere" by Simone Tartarini, Musetti's coach.
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"Rune is the classic "Mr. Cretinetti" (silly) and he clearly called the MTO on purpose to make Lorenzo lose the concentration,” Tartarini said, as per Tennis Fever.
Furthermore, Tartarini referred to Rune as arrogant, suggesting the World No.6's behavior was unnecessary.
"(Musetti) was very naive. He has to learn to move on in those moments,” he said. “I have to repeat myself; he is a Mr Cretinetti and very arrogant. Disappointed. Because we've known him for some time and Musetti often trained with him, having faced a parallel junior career. Now we understand what type he is.”
This led to several tennis fans coming to Rune's defense, criticizing Tartarini for his comments.
"This I only lost because my opponent to an MTO is so unserious," one fan said.
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"3 minute mto and your boy crumbles mentally. Sad excuse by the Musetti team," another fan opined.
"well if you’re gonna lose you concentration because of that maybe you’re in the wrong sport," said another fan.
"well maybe lorenzo needs to be mr silly to start being as successful as holgah idk what you want us to tell you," suggested another fan.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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