Coach of Novak Djokovic's opponent gets distracted by rogue Wimbledon spectator

There was no let-up for Lorenzo Musetti the day ahead of his crunch Wimbledon semi-final showdown with Novak Djokovic. The Italian impressively downed Taylor Fritz in the quarters but the standard of opposition is set to go up another notch on Friday.

With the biggest match of Musetti's career closing in, Express Sport kept a close eye on his SW19 practice session on Thursday to get a sense of what could be in store for Djokovic.

One thing working in Musetti's favour is the long-standing relationship between him and his coach. Simone Tartarini began working with the up-and-comer when he was a young schoolboy, and they still enjoy a solid partnership.

That much is obvious when casting an eye over the relaxed atmosphere in which Musetti trained. Despite the magnitude of the task at hand, coach Tartarini had no problem turning his attention away from the relentless hitting and towards a rogue spectator that caught his eye.

It wasn't a member of Djokovic's camp trying to gather intel or a famous face coming to show support, but a cat who had wandered down to the Aorangi practice courts to enjoy the show from behind a wire fence.

After firing a tennis ball over to Musetti, Tartarini threw another towards his new feline friend. But the friendship wasn't to last as the cat soon cleared off, leaving the Italian camp to switch their focus back to facing Djokovic.

He was no 24-time Grand Slam champion but Musetti's teenage hitting partner was more than capable of putting the world No.25 through his paces. And one inch-perfect, slammed forehand down the line was met with cries of 'bravo' from Djokovic's upcoming opponent.

Musetti also wheeled out a few tricks. A pair of casual tweeners flummoxed the youngster and drew applause from an onlooking crowd which included Musetti's partner and four-month-old child.

The 22-year-old is tipped to be a future heavyweight in men's tennis and he is enjoying his deepest-ever Grand Slam run at SW19. Musetti described his gruelling victory over Fritz as one of the best days of his life.

"It's a magic day," he said. "I have to say after the birth of my son, I will put [the day of that win] in second position. For my career, is the best day of my life. Djokovic is a legend everywhere. We've played lots of times and I expect a huge fight. I will give 100 per cent."