Lorenzo Musetti says 'My heart is with Roger' although recognising Novak Djokovic's greatness

Rafael Nadal & Lorenzo Musetti (Source: Twitter)

Rafael Nadal has not even come close to his glory days recently, but World No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti believes the Spaniard is the "greatest ever on grass". While recognising that World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is everyone's favourite, Musetti stated that his heart is with Federer and considers him a teacher.

Currently competing in the 2023 Queen's Club Championship, Musetti made a flying start by defeating German-born British tennis player Jan Choinski to advance to the fourth round. His comments about Federer came after his triumph in London when he spoke to Tennis TV and stated his playing is comparable to the Spanish legend's.

"I always see Roger as the greatest ever on grass. Even if (Novak) Djokovic has done an amazing job in the last couple of years and I think he is the favourite now, especially at Wimbledon, my heart is with Roger (Federer). In a certain way, he reminds me a little of my game, and I am trying to imitate him and see him as a teacher," the Italian said.

Djokovic reclaims top spot with record 23 Grand Slam titles

Djokovic recently became the first male tennis player to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles. The Serbian defeated Casper Ruud in straight sets at the French Open 2023 to break Nadal’s world record for most Grand Slam titles (22) and reclaimed the top spot from Carlos Alcaraz in the latest ATP rankings.

The 36-year-old became the first player to receive all four major trophies (Wimbledon, US Open, French Open and Australian Open) at least three times. Meanwhile, Nadal has dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in 20 years. He lost 2000 ATP points and resulted in his lowest ranking since 2003.

After winning his record Grand Slam title, Djokovic said: "I feel incredibly proud, fulfilled. I'm so blessed to be able to share it with my family, my kids, my wife, my parents, everyone who has been supporting me in this journey," he said.

"So I still feel motivated and inspired to play the best tennis in these tournaments the most, you know, Grand Slams. Those are the ones that count, I guess, the most in the history of our sport. I look forward already to Wimbledon," he added.