World No. 10 pulls out of French Open and issues devastating statement | Tennis | Sport

Lorenzo Musetti has officially withdrawn from the French Open, citing a rectus femoris injury. The world No. 10 reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, but will not be able to take to the courts in Paris. Musetti visibly struggled throughout his fourth-round match at the Italian Open on Tuesday and suffered a 6-3 6-1 defeat to Casper Ruud.

The Italian star has now undergone tests, confirming he won’t be able to compete at the second Grand Slam tournament of the season. It’s a huge blow for Musetti, who retired mid-match at the Australian Open when he got injured while leading Novak Djokovic by two sets to love in the quarter-finals.

“After yesterday’s match, I underwent medical examinations which revealed a rectus femoris injury, requiring several weeks of rest and recovery. Unfortunately, this means I won’t be able to compete in Hamburg and Roland Garros — news that is incredibly hard to take,” the 24-year-old wrote on social media.

“A huge thank you to the Rome crowd for your incredible support: that’s exactly why, despite not being 100 per cent, I chose to step on court and give everything I had in my home tournament. I’ll keep you updated.”

Musetti had his thigh bandaged up while trailing Ruud by a set and 0-3 in Tuesday’s match. And No. 23 seed Ruud later admitted that he could see his opponent was struggling, and had to use it to his advantage.

“Since I didn’t play Lorenzo in a long time, I really did some research. I was watching a lot of his matches, especially here in Rome. Actually was watching live with [Francisco] Cerundolo the last match. Towards the end of the match he kind of looked a little bit struggling already. I realised that if that’s the case, we try to make him run as much as possible,” the Norwegian ace said.

“It’s cruel and it’s brutal, but that’s sport. You have to do everything you can to try to win matches. For me, every win is important. At the same time, of course, I wish him to be healthy and recover as fast as possible. But towards the end, of course, you could see that he was struggling. It was a shame for maybe the match and these things.

“All in all that’s the brutality of this sport, other sports as well. It’s not easy to deal with pains and injuries. Give him credit for trying his best and doing what he could.”

It’s been a rough year for Musetti when it comes to injuries. He started the season on a high, finishing runner-up in Hong Kong and reaching a career-high ranking of No. 5 in the world. The Italian reached the quarter-finals of the Aussie Open and led Djokovic 6-4 6-3 when things changed.

Musetti struggled to move and had a medical timeout, attempting to play on before he was forced to retire at 6-4 6-3 1-3. He later explained that he felt something in his right leg during the second set. This injury kept him sidelined until March, when he returned in Indian Wells and lost his opening match.

The world No. 10 then pulled out of the Miami Open and made another comeback in Monte Carlo, but did not win a match until he got to the Barcelona Open in April. Musetti reached the quarter-finals in Barcelona and the fourth round of the recent Madrid Open. And he got to round four again in Rome before losing to Ruud.

Musetti isn’t the only big name to pull out of the French Open. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has already withdrawn due to a wrist injury, which British ace Jack Draper ended his clay season after injuring his knee in Barcelona.