Alcaraz must stay vigilant against the dangerous opponent Musetti.

At the 2025 Australian Open, the versatile Spanish warrior Alcaraz, the youngest world No.1 since the ATP introduced the computerized ranking system in 1973 (he claimed the top spot at 19 years and 4 months old after winning the 2022 US Open), made his initial push for a career Grand Slam. Unfortunately, in the quarterfinals, Alcaraz was overturned by the ten-time Australian Open champion and Serbian star Djokovic, ending his run for the title. Now, as world No.1 and a six-time Grand Slam champion, Alcaraz is making his second attempt at the career Grand Slam at the 2026 Australian Open.

In the first two rounds of the 2026 Australian Open, top seed Alcaraz won both matches in straight sets over three sets (against Australian local Walton and veteran German Hanfmann), with the exact same set scores of 6–3, 7–6, 6–2, only differing in the order of the first two sets. Tomorrow at 10:30 AM, in the third round, Alcaraz must be cautious facing the 32nd seed, French player Musetti, a dangerous adversary.

Firstly, this will be Alcaraz’s first career meeting with Musetti. Since his breakout 2022 season, where he won two Masters titles (Miami and Madrid), soared to claim the US Open crown, and rose to world No.1, Alcaraz has suffered four shocking losses in his initial encounters with opponents. In the 2022 ATP 250 Umag final, Alcaraz lost in three sets to the Italian rising star Musetti; at the 2022 Paris Masters third round, he was defeated in straight sets by Frenchman Gaston in their first meeting; at the 2023 Rome Masters third round, despite regaining the No.1 ranking, Alcaraz fell in three sets to Hungarian player Marozsan in their debut match-up; and at the 2023 Paris Masters second round, he was eliminated in straight sets by Russian hard-hitter Safiullin, also their first encounter.

These painful lessons from four defeats in first-time matchups since 2022 have taught Alcaraz to stay alert and focused whenever facing a new opponent. Tomorrow morning’s match against Musetti is no exception.

Secondly, Musetti is a left-handed player with a two-handed backhand. Since Musetti rose to prominence in 2022, Alcaraz has found it more challenging to beat left-handed players compared to right-handers. At the 2022 Indian Wells Masters semifinal, Alcaraz lost to Spanish legend Nadal; at the 2022 Cincinnati Masters quarterfinal, he was defeated by British player Norrie, who also beat him twice later at the 2023 ATP 500 Rio final and 2025 Paris Masters second round; at the 2023 Rome Masters third round, Alcaraz was surprisingly knocked out by Hungarian Marozsan; at the 2024 ATP Queen’s Club second round and 2025 Indian Wells Masters semifinal, British rising star Draper defeated Alcaraz twice; and at the 2024 Paris Masters third round, French player Humbert beat him.

Are these eight losses to left-handed players since 2022 not enough to warn Alcaraz? Tomorrow morning’s match against Musetti demands the utmost caution.

Thirdly, Musetti is known as a troublemaker on court. In men’s tennis, past notorious bad boys include the now-retired Italian Fognini and the mostly retired Australian Kyrgios, and currently, there is the French player Musetti. Born in 1999 and turning pro in 2016, Musetti’s best results are reaching the round of 16 twice in Grand Slams (2022 US Open, 2024 French Open) and twice in Masters events (2022 Paris Masters and 2025 Rome Masters). He has never won a title, only finishing runner-up three times at ATP 250 events. However, Musetti is infamous for repeatedly breaching sportsmanship standards.

Since turning professional, Musetti’s unsportsmanlike conduct has been frequent. Racket smashing in anger, arguing with spectators, clashing with referees—these are routine for him. He has been defaulted for insulting an umpire, walked off court after shaking hands post-racket smash retirements, and even abandoned matches complaining about poor conditions. Due to these behaviors, the French Tennis Federation expelled him in November 2022, cutting off financial support. A spokesperson stated: “Musetti’s conduct on court contradicts the values we aim to promote. We cannot endorse such behavior.”

Facing such a disruptive troublemaker tomorrow morning, how can Alcaraz not be cautious? He must not only play well to defeat his opponent but also keep his composure unaffected by any unpredictable antics Musetti might display!

(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Qicaidou Fan)