Lorenzo Musetti has had a rough couple of months. He broke up with his girlfriend was very depressed. He was been working with a therapist offered by the Italian tennis federation.

In an interview with  Sportsfair, he said:

I’m happy, because I’ve been through a really bad time. I no longer had the spark, the passion. I had broken up with my girlfriend, things that happen to all young people but let’s say that the malaise then I brought it to me on the pitch and sometimes I didn’t really want to play. I am still in the process of healing, so to speak. After Tokyo I started working with a psychologist I have known for some time. The federation made it available to me and it is doing me very well. Opening up was important. I work to understand my emotions and also better understand how they affect me on the pitch. After Roland Garros and personal matters I struggled. I felt even more pressure.

Since the French Open, Lorenzo Musetti has struggled on the court losing early in his tournaments. He is one of the many up-and-coming Italian tennis players with the potential to win a grand slam. As a junior, he won the 2019 Australian Open boys’ title. Since moving on to the men’s tour, he has steadily climbed the rankings entering the Top 60 in the world.

British media typically gets giddy when a British player makes it deep into a tournament – any tournament. Cameron Norrie is knocking on the door of the Top 10 in the world and has become the top- ranked Brit on the men’s tour. The response from the British press has been muted.

That’s partly because Norrie was born in South Africa, raised in New Zealand, studied in the United States, and is now representing Britain. He was able to get British citizenship because his parents are Scottish (father) and Welsh (mother). His parents still live in New Zealand.

Cameron Norrie represented New Zealand until 2013 when he got his British citizenship. He still speaks with a strong New Zealand accent and his interviews are unlikely to connect with the British public.

Johanna Konta, who was born in Australia, received a similar reception from the press despite reaching the semifinals at grand slams multiple times. 

What about Emma Raducanu, though? She wasn’t born in Britain either. Her parents are not from Britain but she moved there when she was 2. She has a strong British accent that cements her British status. She also won a grand slam – a much higher bar than becoming the country’s number 1 player or going deep in a tournament.

Being ignored by the British media is not a bad thing. Being scrutinized after every loss and constantly being in the limelight can be tough for any athlete.