Lorenzo Musetti was left frustrated by a question about Carlos Alcaraz before the Spaniard had even reached the French Open semi-final.
The Italian secured his place in the semi-final after beating Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
In a press conference after his win, Musetti was asked how he is preparing for his confrontation with Alcaraz, despite the Spaniard still having to beat Tommy Paul in order to progress to the next stage in Paris.
“Honestly I find that really disrespectful for Tommy [Paul] , for the ones who they will play,” he responded.
Alcaraz did ultimately beat Paul later in the day, but Musetti seemed uncomfortable with the assumption the journalist was making, so much so that he refused to answer.
He added: “To have a question already about the semi-finals, there is a match to play and honestly I don’t want to answer that question.”
The 23-year-old tennis star has been surging up the ATP rankings after starting off the clay-court campaign at No.16.
At the Monte Carlo Masters final, Musetti faced Alcaraz, who fought back after losing the first set to secure the win.
His runners-up finish in Monaco placed him on the cusp of the top 10 rankings, ultimately setting him up to then peak at No.11 the start of April.
After reaching the semi-final of the Madrid Open and facing Briton Jack Draper, he broke into the top 10 despite losing 6-3, 7(7)-6(4).
Musetti has since risen a further two places following his performance at the Italian Open, placing him at No.7 as he arrived in Paris.
Based on results that come from the final days of the French Open, he now has a chance of breaking into the top five.
Whatever the outcome in Paris, Musetti is guaranteed to be ranked as high as No.6.
Ahead of their semi-final match this week, Alcaraz appeared on TNT Sports to discuss what spectators can expect.
“It’s going to be a beautiful battle, a beautiful match. We are both playing great tennis,” the Spaniard said.
“It’s going to be great for the people to watch as well.”
The winner will advance into the final on June 8.
