Article by Luminița Paul – Published on Wednesday, 15 April 2026, 14:49 / Updated on Wednesday, 15 April 2026 14:49
The Italian Lorenzo Musetti (24 years old, 9th place ATP) is the best-placed player in the world ranking who executes the lapel with one hand. The Italian says he can't change anything about him, but his son won't be taught this shot.
Lorenzo Musetti is on the comeback trail after absences this year caused by two injuries, first the extremely painful one at the Australian Open, to the right thigh, when he was leading the Novak Djokovic 2-0 in sets in the quarterfinals, then a right arm problem that kept him off the scoreboard in Miami.
He lost quickly in Monte Carlo, but in Barcelona, ATP 500 tournament, he started well, 7-5, 6-2 against the Iberian Martin Landaluce (101st place in the world).
“My priority is to feel good physically, but also mentally. I want to regain my level, and the fight is important. The objective is to play matches and not look beyond the next one, I won't think about the points I have to defend“, he said in Barcelona, quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
“There are many, but the ultimate goal is to arrive in Paris in the best shape“, he emphasized. He has already given in 640 at Monte Carlo after the untimely defeat, what follows 400 for the semi-finals in Madrid and Rome plus 800 which correspond to the one at Roland Garros.
Lorenzo Musetti: “I don't know if it will disappear, but things are going in this direction”
The discussion also reached, almost inevitably, the one-handed lapel, the elegant, spectacular shot of which he is a representative – but alongside fewer and fewer other players. One of them, Stan Wawrinkathree-time Grand Slam champion, is in the last year of his career, and among youngsters this execution is a rarity.
Lorenzo Musetti in action on the Barcelona clay Photo: X/Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell
“I don't know if it will disappear, I hope not, but things are going in that direction,” Lorenzo told the same source. “The lapel with one hand is more difficult and spectacular, but now we see it less and less. In modern tennis, with the speed of the ball and the intense play, it's hard to say it's an advantage“, he continued.
“My son, for example, I will not teach him to lapel with one hand. With two you have more advantage on the return, to hit the cross, to recover, these are important things in tennis now“.
“At this point in my career I won't change it,” he told Ace. “I feel good the way I am,” Musetti concluded. He and his partner, Veronica Confalonierithey have two boys, Ludovico (born March 15, 2024) and Leandro (November 29, 2025).
Top 100 players who have lapel with one hand
- Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) » 24 years » 9th place
- Denis Shapovalov (Canada) » 26 years » 39th place
- Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (France) » 22 years » 53rd place
- Daniel Altmaier (Germany) » 27 years » 56th place
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) » 27 years » 67th place
- Aleksandar Kovacevic (USA) » 27 years » 99th place
Stan Wawrinka in action at Roland Garros PHOTO Imago Images
other veterans, Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland, 41 years old), ranked 107th in the world, Dusan Lajovic (Serbia, 35 years old) currently 134 ATP, Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria, 34 years old), 135th place ATP, Christopher O'Connell (Australia, 31 years old), position 141 ATP, or Marco Cechinatto (Italy, 33 years old), ranked 186th in the world, are representatives of the one-handed backhand, some of them, Wawrinka or Dimitrov, have been real brand figures in world tennis for decades.
