‘Roger Federer comparisons dangerous for Lorenzo Musetti – look at Grigor Dimitrov’
Roger Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubicic believes comparing Lorenzo Musetti to the Swiss legend is “dangerous” due to the expectations it will create.
The Croatian suggested Grigor Dimitrov, who he feels “really was a photocopy of Roger”, is a player that struggled to deal with being likened to Federer.
Dimitrov was dubbed ‘Baby Fed’ early in his career due to some similarities between the pair’s strokes and his one-handed backhand.
The 32-year-old reached a career-high ranking of world No 3 in 2017 after winning the ATP Finals – his most recent title.
World No 19 Musetti, who also uses a single-handed backhand, has also drawn some comparisons with the 20-time Grand Slam champion. The 21-year-old Italian has won two titles – with his victory at the ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg last year the biggest.
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ljubicic warned the comparisons could be damaging for Musetti and does not think his game is similar to Federer’s.
“It’s a dangerous speech. Just look at what happened to Dimitrov, who really was a photocopy of Roger. Heavy comparisons that create expectations that can hurt a player,” said the former world No 3.
“I don’t think Lorenzo looks that much like Federer. He has great technique, makes you dream, but maybe we want to use his talent to fill the void of beauty that Roger has left. That can be risky for a guy who’s looking for his style and still shaping it.”
Speaking to Tennis Majors in 2021, Dimitrov addressed the ‘Baby Fed’ nickname and why he was glad when people stopped using it.
“I appreciated it so much at the beginning. But then with time, I was like, ‘Come on, it’s getting old.’ Yes, we have some sorts of similarities, but we’re totally different and we play so differently,” explained the Bulgarian.
“I thought I’d proved myself over the years to be a completely different player than he is. That’s why I was very happy that this nickname died.”
In an interview with Marca in 2021, Musetti spoke about why Federer is his idol.
“At first my idol was [Rafael] Nadal, perhaps due to the fact of being left-handed and because as a child you like to see someone with their gestures on the court, who says ‘let’s go’,” said the Italian.
“I have great respect for Rafa. Then I switched to Federer because I identify with his one-handed backhand. [He] is the ‘GOAT’ for me because of what he has achieved and because of his elegant way of playing. He is a role model both on and off the court.”
Musetti is in action at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto this week. He will face Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round after defeating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 6-1.
