Novak Djokovic will face Lorenzo Musetti for a spot in the fourth round at the 2024 Roland Garros, and the Italian wants to help Jannik Sinner get to the number one rank.
Sinner has a chance to become world number one after this event, and the most of those scenarios, he needs Djokovic to lose early in the event. The Serbian played well in the first two matches here, so he's in the third round, but getting to the fourth round will require him to beat Musetti.
The Italian is no stranger to beating the Serbian legend. He beat him on clay last year in Monte Carlo. He's no stranger to playing him in Paris, either. They played in the French capital in 2021, and he actually led Djokovic 2-0 in that match before losing the next two and retiring in the fifth set.
Musetti is playing really well this year, so it won't be easy for the 24-time major winner, especially as the Italian will be quite motivated to try to help Sinner get that number one spot, which he would secure by beating the top seed.
"Against Djokovic I will also try to help Sinner for No. 1. I wish him not to place his hopes on me. He has his own path I think it is already well written but if I can give him a hand, even a little. Patriotism doesn't hurt."
Musetti has actually played Djokovic on clay this year, and he lost that match. It wasn't particularly close in Monte Carlo, but it's certainly a matchup the Italian can win if he plays his best tennis.
Whether he'll actually do that remains to be seen. He has a really beautiful game suited for clay, and Djokovic is obviously still one of the best players in the world, even if his tennis hasn't looked that great lately.
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