'We grew up playing...' - Lorenzo Musetti reflects on his special bond with Jack Draper ahead of their semi-final clash

Tennis star Lorenzo Musetti has opened up about his feelings on facing his childhood friend Jack Draper in the Mutua Madrid Open 2025 semi-final clash. The Italian sensation has defeated Gabriel Daillo in the quarter-final clash with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-3 to storm into the last four rounds. He will be facing Draper in the next round.

Musetti has been in red-hot form on the ATP tour. He has recently made it to the finals of the Monte Carlo Masters before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the summit clash. On the other hand, Draper has stormed into the semi-finals after thwarting Italian star Matteo Arnaldi in another blockbuster quarter-final clash.

Jack Draper has made it to the finals of the Qatar Open 2025 but lost to Andrey Rublev. However, Draper is the Indian Wells 2025 champion as he defeated Alcaraz in the semi-finals before toppling Holger Rune in the title clash. Lorenzo Musetti and Jack Draper will be looking to win this game to seal the final spot in this game.

Lorenzo Musetti's sportsmanship steals fans' hearts ahead of semi-final showdown

Speaking about the same subject, Lorenzo Musetti has showcased sportsmanship and talked about his friendship bond with Draper. The Italian star admitted that he has never defeated the British star, but he will be looking to put him in a challenging situation in this game.

“I never beat him (smiling). But I always say there’s always a first time. Hopefully it’s coming here. We are close friends. We grew up playing together. It’s really nice to share this kind of stage. I know Jack is having a tremendous season so far. I’m really happy for him. But it’s gonna be a fight. Hopefully I can put him in a difficult situation,” Lorenzo Musetti said on facing Jack Draper next.

Here are the match details of Madrid Open semi-final clash:

Fixture: (5) Jack Draper vs (10) Lorenzo Musetti
Date: May 2, 2025
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Semifinal
Venue: La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: $8,619,262
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+

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