Three years ago at Roland Garros, a significant moment in men’s tennis seemed to be unfolding before a Court Philippe Chatrier crowd eager for change. Having navigated the first week of a grand slam for the first time in his career, a 19-year-old Italian named Lorenzo Musetti stared down Novak Djokovic and spectacularly rose to the occasion, establishing a sublime two-set lead.
But then it all fell apart. By the time Djokovic was rolling through games in the third set with no response, the writing was on the wall and the world No 1 conceded one game in the rest of the match. While it is not unusual for Djokovic to give opponents a two-set head start before roaring to victory, the ending was particularly curious. Down 4-0 in the fifth set, instead of fighting until the last point and taking his defeat on the chin, Musetti retired.
