Novak Djokovic expressed satisfaction with his victory over Lorenzo Musetti in the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. The pair previously faced each other in the same stage of the Masters 1000 event, with Musetti winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. This time, Djokovic triumphed 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Open.
After the match, Djokovic admitted he was not at his best and recalled his past defeat to Musetti. He expressed relief at overcoming the challenge and looked forward to his next match. The tennis star also mentioned that clay-court gave him “pleasure in suffering.”
Djokovic now leads 4-1 in the head-to-head against Musetti, with the Italian’s only victory coming at last year’s Monte-Carlo tournament. Their first encounter was in the fourth round of the 2021 French Open, where Djokovic recovered from a two-set deficit to win when Musetti retired due to injury. Djokovic won their subsequent meetings at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships and 2022 Paris Masters before Musetti’s victory in Monte-Carlo.
Next, Djokovic will face Alex de Minaur, who achieved his first Masters 1000 clay-court quarterfinal by defeating fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-4.
