The Italian built up impressive momentum on grass two years ago. A semi-final run in Stuttgart was followed by a standout showing at The Queen’s Club, where he reached the final before narrowly losing to American Tommy Paul.

Musetti carried that form into Wimbledon, where he reached his first Grand Slam semi-final, eventually falling to 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic.

Musetti had hoped to build on that progress last summer, but injury disrupted his plans. After being forced to retire during his Roland Garros semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz, the world No.10 missed almost the entire grass court swing, returning only for Wimbledon.

Now looking ahead to the summer, he’s eager to get back to a surface where he’s shown plenty of promise in the past as he looks to reignite his momentum on British soil.                 

“Last year was not my best grass court season so far because I was injured”, Musetti said. “I have so much motivation to be back on grass - it's a surface where I think I can show my variation of tennis.

“I really like to play on it and enjoy the feeling of playing on grass, so I’m really happy to be coming back to Queen’s this year.”

The 23-year-old has already proven he can thrive on grass, and he returns to the HSBC Championships with fond memories.

His run to the final in 2024 included wins over second seed Alex de Mianuar, Brandon Nakashima, Britain’s Billy Harris and Jordan Thompson.

There, he faced fifth seed Paul and despite pushing the American to a second set tie-break, he eventually fell short in a 6-1, 7-6(8) defeat.

That said, the experience left a lasting impression on the Italian and built up added motivation to go one step further this year as he looks to etch his name on the silverware.

“Really excited to be back, it has a special place in my heart because of course, I had an incredible run.

"It was my first final in a grass tournament, of course it has such a historical feeling where you play in the middle of the houses and all the British fans can watch.

“There’s a lot of really nice crowds over there, and I have the feeling that every time you step on the grass of Queens, you don’t want to touch it, you just want to fly and play the best you can and bless the court.”

The two-time ATP titleholder has lifted trophies on both hard and clay courts, and will be aiming to complete the set on grass this summer. Musetti believes his creative, all-court style is particularly effective on the surface, allowing him to make the most of his variety.

With a sense of unfinished business on British soil, he’ll be one to watch at this year’s HSBC Championships - and will be hoping for an extended stay in London.

“Grass fits very well in my game because of all the variation I have. My variation on grass can be used as a weapon, especially the slice, and trying to come into the net and disturb my opponent with the variety. I really love to slice, and on grass it's working really well, the ball remains really low. Hopefully, we’ll have a good run this year too.

“The city of London is so nice. Of course, the weather can be a bit tough to deal with, but I really enjoy my time in London. It's a city I really love to see and to be in. Hopefully, I’ll be there from Queen’s to the end of Wimbledon.

Watch Musetti take on Alcaraz, Jack Draper, Alex De Minauar and more this summer at the HSBC Championships from 15-21 June.

Tickets are still available for the women's WTA 500 event at the HSBC Championships - buy yours now.