Carlos Alcaraz is into a second straight French Open title, but Andre Agassi was left somewhat shocked by the nature of the performance he saw.
After all, the four-time Grand Slam champion started so slowly, looking tired and far from his usual energetic and entertaining self.
Because of this, he quickly fell behind, failing to capitalise on any Musetti errors whilst making plenty of his own.
There are many factors that could have contributed to such a poor period, but Agassi had one overwhelming theory.
Andre Agassi surprised by Carlos Alcaraz’s performance vs Lorenzo Musetti
Speaking live on TNT Sports immediately after Carlos Alcaraz’s match was over, Agassi was on hand to deliver his instant reaction.
However, despite the blistering performance of the Spaniard from the second-set tiebreak onwards, before that was far from impressive.
He laboured throughout the first set, allowing Musetti a foothold in the match.
Agassi put this down to a lack of foot movement, noting: ‘I was a little surprised he didn’t rely on his legs a little earlier. He was relying on his ability to make shots and just basically boss Musetti around the court.
‘What he really needed to do was use his legs a lot more a lot earlier, make Musetti red line for as long as possible, wait until his game found his range before he starts going up into that new stratosphere of tennis that that he’s bringing to the table.
‘So watching him up close and personal can say with confidence Alcaraz only gets better from here.’
Jim Courier compared Alcaraz’s performance to Rafael Nadal, with one key trait actually surpassing the 22-time Grand Slam champion in his eyes.
Carlos Alcaraz will have to up his game in the French Open final
Whilst he eventually found his level from the second-set tiebreak onwards, Alcaraz cannot allow such a monumental lull against a player of Sinner or Djokovic’s calibre.
Whoever wins tonight’s huge showdown will bring immeasurable heat and put the Spaniard to the sword if he does not focus from the first serve, but he will be well aware of that.
This entire tournament has been characterised by unpredictability from the 22-year-old, dropping random sets to players he should have beaten with ease.
And yet, just as easily as he would struggle surprisingly, he completely blew away fierce competition like Tommy Paul in straight sets.
That is the level he must enter Sunday’s final with, and maintain throughout, to retain his French Open crown.
