Lorenzo Musetti broke through in '22. After beating Novak Djokovic, what's next?

⬆️⬆️ WATCH: Our special TenniStory video on Lorenzo Musetti ⬆️⬆️

MONTE CARLO, Monaco—In the 14th century, the Italian Renaissance swept over Europe, bringing rediscovery to philosophy, literature and art that lasted well over 300 years. This revitalization was led by Italian artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo.

In 2021, a new Renaissance began flourishing in Italy, bringing rediscovery to the sport of tennis in a soccer-obsessed country that is literally shaped like a boot kicking a ball.

Led by names such as Matteo Berrettini, Jannik Sinner and Fabio Fognini, ten Italian men were ranked within the ATP’s Top 100 at one point that year, for the first time ever. It was an amazing achievement for a country that has never produced a world No. 1 in professional tennis.

Since then, Italy’s youngest rising star, 21-year-old Lorenzo Musetti, has soared up the rankings, breaking into the Top 20 for the first time just a week before the start of the 2023 Australian Open. He’s back outside now, at No. 21, but he also just beat Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo.

“I think now that Italian tennis is at its biggest level ever,” he says.

There are many reasons for this, in Musetti’s estimation, and not just the players themselves.

“An important part is that we have a lot of tournaments of different levels,” says the former junior world No. 1, during last off-season while training at his home base in Monte Carlo, Monaco. “We could say Challenger, we could say [ATP] 250, we have the Next Gen in Milan, we also have the Nitto ATP Finals. (And, also, an ATP Masters 1000 in Rome.) We have a lot of Futures so everybody can play at every level, and this I think helps a lot of Italian players to reach the level that they need to break through.”

Italy’s youngest budding superstar has a flair to match his artistic game, practicing with long hair tied in a top knot as he relentlessly works to improve. The setting is one of tennis’ most picturesque venues, the Monte Carlo Country Club. So it should be no surprise that Musetti’s greatest weapon on court is also his most elegant and graceful: his one-handed backhand.

“Yeah, always had a one handed backhand and it was always my favorite shot to play since I was a kid,” he says. “I always had some good variation with the backhand slice, drop shot and backhand down the line.

“No coaches have ever told me (to switch to a two-handed backhand) because maybe I was playing really natural … Of course, like everything, one-handed backhand has its own advantage and disadvantage, but you know I think at the moment today that I am happy that nobody changed my backhand.”

The 2022 season was a breakthrough for Musetti. He won his first two ATP titles, including Hamburg, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

“The week of Hamburg and my first title against Carlos was something really I would say unforgettable,” he says. “You have to live it to understand it. Such an epic final, such an epic battle against a friend that carries No. 1 in the world.

“At the end it was something that was like instant freedom and a moment of joy, so it was really unforgettable and really nice moment to remember.”

So how did this youngster celebrate? Musetti and his coach, Simone Tartarini (who has worked with him since he was 9 years old) followed through on a promise they made to each other before the tournament.

“Me and my coach we did tattoos together,” he reveals. “It’s a phrase of a song of an artist who we both like. Ligabue [is] the artist, and the song is Il Meglio Deve Ancora Venire—translated in English it's like, ‘The best has yet to come.’”

Musetti has one more tattoo, that he got on his own, which represents the love and passion he has for the sport—and the bright future still ahead of him.

“That’s my heartbeat with the tennis racquet in the middle, cause I think tennis for me is everything, it’s life.

“I always remembered the first day that I that I became No. 1 in the world juniors and I always wanted to become No. 1 in the world in the pros—and that's what I'm working for.”