Lorenzo Musetti reveals why ‘role model’ Jannik Sinner could never be his ‘enemy’

Oli Dickson Jefford 27 Nov 2025 10:00 AM

Pictured: Lorenzo Musetti and Jannik Sinner.

ATP Tour stars Lorenzo Musetti and Jannik Sinner.

Lorenzo Musetti has opened up about his relationship with fellow Italian star Jannik Sinner, claiming he would never consider the four-time Grand Slam champion an “enemy” on tour.

World No 2 Sinner has become one of the leading tennis players of his era and perhaps the greatest in the history of Italian tennis, with the 24-year-old having previously spent 66 weeks atop the ATP Rankings.

Over the past two seasons, the Italian has won back-to-back Australian Open titles alongside the 2024 US Open and 2025 Wimbledon titles, with further runner-up finishes at the US Open and French Open in 2025.

Sinner is undoubtedly the leading Italian player of his generation, but there has been a boom within the nation’s tennis scene as a whole, of which Musetti is a key part.

Musetti joined Sinner in ending 2025 inside the top 10 of the ATP Rankings, finishing the year ranked eighth after reaching a career high of world No 6 back in June.

The overall strength of Italian men’s tennis was highlighted by the nation’s third consecutive triumph in the Davis Cup last week.

Neither national No 1 Sinner nor No 2 Musetti were in action, but both Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini won all their rubbers across the quarter-final, semi-final, and final.

With the likes of Luciano Darderi and Lorenzo Sonego also on tour and currently ranked inside the top 50, the strength and depth within the Italian men’s game has rarely been greater.

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And, speaking in a new interview with La Repubblica, Musetti revealed that he and his compatriots remained “friends” despite often battling against each other on tour.

He said (translated from Italian): “When you face a partner you may even play doubles with, it’s always a tricky match.

“You’ve shared so many moments, you look at it differently. That’s why it’s important to focus on the game, but no, I don’t mind fratricidal matches; I’m capable of managing them.

“That doesn’t mean I always come out on top, but we remain friends anyway.”

It would be easy to paint Musetti as someone unlucky to be around in the same era as Sinner, who became the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title in 47 years at the 2024 Australian Open.

The pair have faced off three times on the ATP Tour, and Musetti is yet to win a set; the 23-year-old most recently losing 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the quarter-finals of the US Open to his compatriot.

However, opening up about his relationship with the world No 2, Musetti revealed that he would never consider it a “disadvantage” to compete at the same time as Sinner.

“Luckily, I have Sinner; I’ll never say ‘unfortunately.’ There’s no rivalry like that; exacerbating tensions in sport, which has so many, is pointless,” added Musetti.

“And then I have Jannik by my side. He’s not an enemy who takes my breath away, he’s a champion who shows the way. A role model.

“Different from me? Sure. More powerful, solid, consistent. But I don’t consider it a disadvantage to have been around the same time as him.

“Would I like to have some of his qualities? Yes, while fully respecting our differences. We’re on different yet parallel paths; we each mature at our own pace.

“We’ve both had to endure pressure, and there have always been high expectations of us.”