Lorenzo Musetti endured a hugely emotional night yesterday, as he narrowly defeated Francisco Cerundolo across two gruelling sets.
And, as soon as he had converted that crucial match point, the tears flowed freely as he sat on his bench.
The Italian had given his all in front of his home crowd, and they were rightly celebrating his Goliath effort with huge enthusiasm.
However, things swiftly turned sour for Musetti.
Speaking after the match, he actually called for the ATP to make a crucial change, hinting that matches are routinely being disrupted by disgruntled fans who he theorised as ‘bettors’.
Lorenzo Musetti calls for ATP to ban certain fans
In comments relayed by Eurosport, Musetti did not hold back in his post-match assessment of the crowd.
After all, whilst he did everything he could to win for his home fans, there were some supporters who he felt were clearly trying to negatively influence the match.
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He stated: “It happens very often that there are bettors everywhere.
“In some games, it is quite clear that someone is playing in the audience, cheering not for the home favourite, and even disturbing.
“We must try to keep these people away. The ATP must increase security in this regard.”
Musetti is not the first star to voice his concerns over betting in tennis, with many other players having taken to social media to share angry messages they received from punters who had put money on them.
Lorenzo Musetti’s nightmare draw at the Italian Open
Considering he entered the Italian Open as the number eight seed, Musetti has had little luck with his draw.
After all, he kick-started proceedings with arguably the biggest potential slip-up opponent on the ATP Tour: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. His serve is monstrous enough to beat any player if he can sneak a break or two, but Musetti remained calm to beat him in straight sets.
Next up for the 24-year-old came Cerundolo, one of the most proficient clay-court players who boasted a handful of elite-level wins on the dirt this year.
Again, Musetti won in straight sets, but it was far from straightforward.
And now, as an added treat for his two impressive wins, Musetti must face Casper Ruud, a three-time Grand Slam semi-finalist and another clay-court specialist.
The Italian crowd will really have to be on form to pull him through this one.