"I faced many steps growing up, even moments close to panic attacks" - Nerve-wracking moments Lorenzo Musetti overcame to become top-10 player

Lorenzo Musetti has admitted that he has come close to panic attacks in the past, something that he stated he is working on as he becomes one of the best players in the world.

The world number 8 has enjoyed another year of progress on tour. he qualified for the ATP Final for the maiden time - due to Novak Djokociv's withdrawal - and won his first match in the event. This, however, was not enough to keep him in it. Aside from that, he made a Roland Garros semi-final and a US Open quarter-final, along with having a brilliant clay swing where he reached his first Masters 1000 final in the Monte-Carlo Masters while climaxing at semi-finals in Madrid and Rome.

While Musetti made his ATP Finals debut, he only managed just one win against Alex de Minaur. Though he did not make it out of the group, he was ecstatic by the reception he received in Turin.

"People know how to be in their place and how to make you happy at the right time," Musetti said in a podcast with Juventus. "I found a beautiful environment during these weeks of the Finals. I must say that the victory against De Minaur was decisive — the audience and the energy they gave me. I had been coming from some really demanding weeks, so I needed external energy, and the whole Inalpi Arena really made me feel at home."

To qualify for the ATP Finals, he was forced to play in the Hellenic Championship, with a title only enough to secure his spot over Felix Auger-Aliassime. Unfortunately, a final defeat was not enough, until the champion Djokovic broke the good news that he was not going to Turin. While this did confirm his spot in the event, it was a lot of energy expensed for nothing.

"Yes, I definitely got here going through these Finals a bit," Musetti admitted. "This was the goal I set for myself from mid-season. Some misfortune made the path a little more muddy, especially in recent months." Not only that but he is soon to becoming a dad, with him forever grateful with his partner. "And then, as you mentioned, we have a delicate situation — we are really close to giving birth. That gave me a sense of maturity and responsibility. I have to thank my partner for always understanding my life, which is certainly not easy, and for putting me first almost always, even in a situation like this."

The road to the top has not been plain sailing for the Italian. He unveiled how close he was to panic attacks he came to in the past, and how he has been working with himself.

"This season, one of the biggest quality leaps I’ve made is in the mental field — my attitude on court. It’s something more difficult for me because, character-wise, I light up easily and I’m very sensitive," he confessed. "I faced many steps growing up, even moments close to panic attacks — really tense moments where I felt a knife between my stomach and sternum. I turned toward my box saying, 'I can’t breathe. I can’t play.' Over the years I’ve learned to manage pre-match situations. I work a lot on breathing exercises — diaphragm work — which is helping me. I’m trying to improve even more because it’s fundamental in our sport."

A lot of players, in a variety of sports, rely on music to relax them and aid them in preparation for the event. Musetti is no different, with a range of music choices to choose from.

"I go a lot by moments and sensations. I have a very long playlist called 'Lorenzo' — very creative! — with over 100 hours of music. I can link songs to tournaments, victories, matches, moments of my career. I don’t have specific pre-match songs. I vary a lot. And I often don’t like listening to music right before a match. I prefer a speaker and an environment with music to relax, not to enter the court with too much energy. I get too excited, so I choose chill music to enter the court."

Many players are seen talking and motivating themselves on court. The 23-year-old in no different, with him regularly lambasting himself when it is not going his way, admitting that he is very self-critical.

"I speak a lot to myself — and I usually answer with insults," he said, "I’ve always been very self-critical. My team has seen it as a sort of self-harm because it’s negative energy. And opponents notice if you’re nervous. That gives them an advantage. Sometimes it would be better to look like a mule that doesn’t notice the world and just keeps going straight."