"It’s a surface on which I don’t feel at my best yet" - Lorenzo Musetti admits to not being confident ahead of the Cincinnati Open

Although he is one of the top seeds at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, Italian tennis star Lorenzo Musetti has revealed he is not too fond of the surface at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

The World No.10 will kick off his Cincinnati campaign in the second round, after receiving a first round bye. Musetti faces Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, who defeated Musetti's countryman, Matteo Arnaldi in a three-set first round encounter.

After a rollercoaster first half of the season that saw him rise to a career-high ranking of World No.6, Musetti has become one of the more underrated players on tour this season. The 23-year old shocked fans by reaching the final at the Monte-Carlo Masters, falling to former World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz in three sets.

Subsequently, Musetti would make a semifinal appearance at the Madrid Open and Italian Open. The home-favorite would again lose to Alcaraz in Rome, but had proven to the tennis community that he belonged among the elite on tour.

After a splendid semifinal showing at Roland Garros, where Musetti again lost to Alcaraz, the Carrara native has struggled with injury. However, Musetti was able to compete at the Canadian Open, where he lost in the third round and now has his sights set on a deep run at Cincinnati.

This may be easier said than done, as Musetti admitted to not playing his best on the surface in Cincinnati. However, the eighth seed stated he hoped to do his best while making adequate changes in preparation for the US Open at the end of the month.

"It’s nice to be back here in Cincinnati," said Musetti. "There have been a lot of changes and improvements here in the tournament this year, even slightly different conditions that can help me.
"It’s a surface on which I don’t feel at my best yet, but having played before this tournament gives me hope that I can adapt as well as possible. The goal is to do my best in this Masters 1000 where I’ve never had good results and then try to prepare myself as best as possible for the US Open."