Italian rising star Lorenzo Musetti has admitted that he was on the verge of giving up tennis after breaking up with his girlfriend.
Following his strong start to the season with semifinals in Acapulco and Lyon, Musetti went on a six-match losing streak before ending it at the US Open.
“I have had a bad period in recent months. I separated from my girlfriend. I didn't want to play anymore. So I decided to see a psychologist and now I'm better,” told the Italian in his interview for Gazzetta Dello Sport.
The 19-year-old was up by two sets against Novak Djokovic in the French Open round-of-16 before retiring in fifth set.
“After the French Open [Roland Garros], I was really under the spotlight. Media and things outside, maybe I gave too much time to that and didn’t focus enough on my tennis.
"It’s been a hard period for me," Musetti added.
The youngster noted that he was also having hard time dealing with pressure.
“It’s a lot of pressure on a 19-year-old, to be expected to win most of the time,” said Musetti. “I didn’t know how to manage it. I was exploding inside, and I couldn’t give 100 per cent on the court.
"I started to work with a mental trainer and it’s working. It’s not easy to change these things, I think it’s a long way to go, but I’ve improved mentally. “Even in this match [against Polmans], I fought for every point.
"That’s what makes me the happiest. Look at Marc, Top 150, it’s so hard. There is such a tiny difference from the Challengers to here on the ATP Tour. Everyone has to be at 100 per cent the whole time and that’s tough”.
Source -
tennisworldusa
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