Lorenzo Musetti has withdrawn from Italy’s Davis Cup squad ahead of next week’s title defense in Bologna, with the 23-year-old citing physical issues and family reasons following his loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals in Turin on Thursday.
Italy, winners of the past two editions, were already without world No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who opted to skip the event to focus on defending his Australian Open title.
Musetti earned a late call-up to the season-ending Finals after Novak Djokovic withdrew, having narrowly missed automatic qualification when he lost to the Serb in Athens on Saturday.
Unlike the other seven competitors, he had no time to prepare at Turin’s Inalpi Arena and arrived with heavy mileage, including an almost three-hour match against Djokovic and two other grueling rounds in Athens.
“Given my physical condition and my family situation, in agreement with captain Filippo Volandri, I have decided not to participate in the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna,” said Musetti, whose partner is due to give birth shortly.
“Obviously, there is a lot of regret and disappointment for how I came into this competition. With a better approach, perhaps I would have tried to play it, despite the family commitment.
“I knew that physical fatigue was difficult to shake off after the battles of the last few months, and especially the last few weeks, in one day.”
Musetti was part of Italy’s team for its two recent titles, and his place is expected to be taken by Lorenzo Sonego, who has been practicing in Turin in recent days.
A win over Alcaraz would have sent Musetti into the semifinals, but despite an excellent first-set performance, the Italian fell 6-4, 6-1 in his final round-robin match, with the Spaniard now confirmed as the year-end world No. 1.
Alcaraz won all three matches to top the Jimmy Connors Group and will face either Alexander Zverev or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last four. The 22-year-old will be part of Spain’s team at the Davis Cup, which runs Nov. 18-23.
Alcaraz said the Davis Cup holds a unique meaning because “you’re playing for your country, you’re playing with your teammates.”
“It’s totally different. I think it’s one of the most privileged things you can do in our sport, representing your country.
“I’m playing this year. I really want to win the Davis Cup one day because for me it’s a really important tournament,” he said after Thursday’s win.
He said it was understandable for Sinner and Musetti to skip the event, noting that “the season has been so long.”
