Italian tennis player Lorenzo Musetti, 22, clinched the bronze medal in men’s singles at the Paris 2024 Olympics, defeating Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in a thrilling three-set match with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. This historic victory marks Italy’s first Olympic tennis medal in 100 years, with the last being Uberto De Morpurgo’s bronze at the 1924 Paris Games.Musetti, currently ranked 16th in the world, has been experiencing the most successful stretch of his career. Just three weeks ago, he reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon. After the match, an elated Musetti said, ‘It was a tough match, but I sacrificed myself for the Italian flag and I’m happy to have been rewarded with this important medal’.The bronze medal match, which lasted two hours and 17 minutes, took place on the iconic Court Philippe-Chatrier. Musetti’s journey to the podium included victories over Sebastian Fritz in the round of 16 and Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals, before losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.Looking ahead, the gold medal match on Sunday will feature a highly anticipated clash between top-seeded players Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. In the women’s doubles event, Italy has another shot at gold as Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini will face the Russian pair of Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider.This Olympic success adds to a growing list of achievements for Italian tennis. As Musetti reflected on his recent performances, he described it as ‘a magnificent moment’. When asked about his celebration plans, the young athlete humorously remarked that he looked forward to eating a pizza, having subsisted on a diet of ‘plain pasta and chicken for three months’.
Key points
- Lorenzo Musetti won Italy’s first Olympic tennis medal in 100 years, securing bronze in men’s singles at Paris 2024.
- Musetti defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in a three-set match: 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
- The gold medal match will feature Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
- Italy has another medal opportunity in women’s doubles with Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.
