The Big 3 are not only iconic champions—they’re the building blocks for the perfect player, says Lorenzo Musetti.
In his Sofia Open debut, Musetti conducted a Q&A with some top Bulgarian juniors and ball kids at the tournament.
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Sofia Open ball girl Nadezhda Petkova asked Musetti to construct the ideal player.
A huge Fed fan, Musetti picked the Swiss superstar’s forehand, but also selected key components from the games of Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. See Musetti’s answer at about 5:50 of the video below:
“I will take Opelka for the serve,” Musetti said. “Forehand—Federer. I would say backhand, two hands, Djokovic, and one-handed I will not take mine because I’m not good enough—probably Wawrinka.
“Return—Djokovic. Physically, I would say Nadal and Djokovic. Mentally, Nadal, but also Djokovic. And at the net I will take Federer.”
The 19-year-old Musetti grew up looking up to Federer and says the 20-time Grand Slam champion remains his role model on and off court.
“The sporting [role model] for sure is Federer,” Musetti said. “I try to take his best. I study him and I’m a huge fan of him. So I really want to be like him every kind of things, tennis and outside.
“The other for me for sure it’s my family. Because Italians are really strict with the family and I’m one of them. Because without the persons that really care for you, you cannot go far and touch your goals.”
Photo credit: Getty