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Comparisons with the Big 3 are almost inevitable for every talented youngster in men's tennis. The trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have taken tennis to such heights that the sport has started using them as a metric for success and ability.
Rising Italian tennis player Lorenzo Musetti is no exception to that. The 18-year-old from Carrara has been compared to Roger Federer himself, by renowned tennis personality Gianluca Naso.
Gianluca Naso is the technical manager of the Tennis Park Club of Genoa. Musetti, who is currently ranked No. 284 in the world, was part of the A1 team of this club some years ago and as such his game is quite familiar to Naso.
In a recent interview with Ubitennis, Naso talked in detail about the differences and similarities between the playing styles of Musetti and Roger Federer.
'Roger Federer comes to mind obviously' - Gianluca Naso on the player that Lorenzo Musetti is most similar to
It has taken Roger Federer years of practice to fine-tune his game and bring it to the level that it is at today.
In his early years some aspects of his game, especially his one-handed backhand, were considered to be weak. Many criticized the Swiss’ game and felt that he wasn't destined to be a top player. But Federer proved them all wrong, and even managed to turn his weaknesses into strengths - as evidenced in his backhand exhibition at the 2017 Australian Open.
Lorenzo Musetti, who also has a one-handed backhand, has a long way to go before he can establish himself as a mainstay on the ATP tour. But the signs are positive in his case, and Naso believes the backhand is not the only similarity that the 18-year-old shares with Roger Federer.
When asked who Musetti's game reminded him of the most, Gianluca Naso was quite forthright in his reply.
“I don’t want (to compare) but Federer comes to mind obviously,” Naso said.
Naso went on to compare the playing styles of the two players, but before doing so pointed out the unique feature of the celebrated Swiss - his serve. Roger Federer has one of the finest serves in the history of the game; he deploys a tremendous amount of disguise on the shot, making it extremely tough to pick.
Gianluca Naso termed Roger Federer’s serve as ‘inimitable’ but drew comparisons between the easy power generated by Musetti and the Swiss.
“Roger Federer’s service is unique and inimitable. The ease of being able to change pace within a single point, knowing how to play on other surfaces, knowing how to use the back, he also likes to come forward,” Naso said.
“Like Federer he has the ease with which he manages to hit the ball, especially from the right side it reminds you a little of the Swiss,” he added.
Naso talked about a couple more similarities, albeit in a cheeky manner. He made note of the fact that both Musetti and Federer are sponsored by Nike, and that they sported similar haircuts at the start of their careers.
“The fact that he is also sponsored by Nike and maybe the long hair that Federer once had is beautiful!” Naso concluded.
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