Beaten but bluffed, Musetti praises Djokovic: "I'd never faced a Nole like this"

Lorenzo Musetti has nothing to be ashamed of in his performance. The author of a superb season on grass, he leaves this Wimbledon with the honors. A splendid winner over Fritz, he put on an excellent show in the semi-finals, despite the adversity and defeat.

Up against the great Novak Djokovic, the Italian played at a truly excellent level (36 winners, 22 unforced errors), but still lost in 3 sets and almost 3 hours (6-4, 7-6, 6-4).

Interviewed after his defeat, the 22-year-old prodigy was rather positive, praising Djokovic's prodigious level of play above all else: "I think it was the seventh time we'd met, but I'd never faced a Nole like this. I was very impressed today, as it was our first time on grass. His tennis adapts perfectly to this surface, especially when it comes to the return.

Today (Friday) was a joke. Given the way he ended up serving, but also the way he played the important points, he deserved to win.

All in all, we played a great match, with a lot of intensity and good exchanges, it was a great battle. I'm proud of myself."