Daily Times

Av raft of withdrawals has swept through the Olympic tennis line-up, but nothing was going to stop Lorenzo Musetti from taking part in Paris — setting in motion a last-minute dash to the French capital. The Italian played the final of a warm-up event in Umag, Croatia, late on Saturday night, losing the match and not getting to bed until well past midnight.

A few hours later, his sleep curtailed by an early alarm clock, and Musetti was on his way to the airport with his first-round match at the Olympics scheduled for late afternoon at Roland Garros.

Fortunately for the 22-year-old Musetti, the frantic journey proved worthwhile as he brushed aside French veteran Gael Monfils in straight sets.

“This morning, we flew early from Pula, at 8am, so we woke up around 6am. When I arrived at the hotel, I had lunch with the Italian women’s volleyball team and then I managed to get a 30-minute nap,” Musetti explained.

“When I got here, Jessica Pegula was already about to (win her) match, so I practised about 15 minutes and got on court for the match. “It has been an intense day, so I believe I deserve some rest now.” Musetti was grateful to his partner Veronica, who gave birth to the couple’s first child in March, for making sure everything was ready to go after he lost the Umag final to Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.