Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti "had a laugh" about surreal final days of ATP Finals race

Lorenzo Musetti said that he and Novak Djokovic found the lighter side of the surreal sequence of events that resulted in the Italian getting a berth in the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

The 2024 Olympic bronze medalist thought he'd fallen just short of securing the eighth and final spot in Turin after losing a grueling Hellenic Championship final to Djokovic on Saturday. But his disappointment faded quickly as soon as the handshake, when Djokovic revealed to Musetti that he was pulling out of the year-end tournament due to a lingering shoulder injury

Speaking to reporters after arriving on home soil, Musetti said all's well that ends well.

Read more: Lorenzo Musetti to make career debut at ATP Finals in Turin after Novak Djokovic withdraws

Q. Your thoughts on getting in? Also, do you think Novak should have made a decision a lot earlier than he did about electing to play or not to play? What was your immediate reaction when you found out?

LORENZO MUSETTI: Well, I think Novak, he was completely in the rules of the ATP, of the tournament itself. Of course, I think the strange situation was that he was playing literally the week before the Masters. That could be a little bit strange for a player who is already qualified. But that's the only thing.

Of course, when he told me at the net after the match that he was not coming, honestly we had a laugh about it. I was curious all week. I was curious if he was coming or not.

Of course, I was trying to focus on myself. I think I made a good work at that, even if I didn't win the final.

As the No. 9 seed, Musetti slides into a Jimmy Connors Group that also includes Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur, and Taylor Fritz. After defeating de Minaur in his opening match on Sunday, Alcaraz made his feelings about the eleventh-hour switch clear.

"To be honest, I prefer [to play] Lorenzo. I'm not going to lie," he laughed.

"Obviously someone like Novak being in the group is always tough," Alcaraz said. "The experience he has in this tournament, the level he has on indoor court, it's quite good. I lost to him in 2023, and I played great. He killed me.

But that doesn't mean that Alcaraz is underestimating Musetti. Though he won all three matches against the Italian this year, Musetti won a set in two of them.

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"If he's there, he deserves it because of the level he has put on the matches, the tournaments he has done this year, and the level he showed this year," Alcaraz continued. "It was really, really high. Let's see how he's going to be, how he's going to adapt. He's coming from Athens, and he couldn't feel the court at all.

"But I'm sure he's going to do great and let's see how is going to be."