Novak Djokovic is into the semi-final of the Australian Open for the 13th time in his career, following Lorenzo Musetti’s unfortunate retirement from their quarter-final on Wednesday (28 January).
Musetti led the 24-time tennis Grand Slam champion 6-4, 6-3 going into the third set at Rod Laver Arena, but an injury caused him to withdraw from the match.
Djokovic took a commanding two-game lead in the opening set, but the unfazed Italian fifth seed fought his way in front with two service breaks. Musetti continued to pull ahead, and even with the Serbian pushing hard, held his nerve with a composed tenth game, taking advantage of 18 unforced errors from his opponent.
Each player broke service at the start of set two, but Musetti kept a step ahead of Djokovic to put pressure on the fourth seed and force him to catch up. At 5-3, Djokovic was unable to hold serve with mistakes coming at crucial moments. By contrast, the Italian kept his cool to win the set 6-3 and take one step closer to the final four.
Set three saw the tide turn, with Djokovic gaining a foothold against a struggling Musetti, who was unable to find any rhythm following a medical timeout.
On the verge of what would have been his first Australian Open semifinal, the 23-year-old’s injury ultimately forced him to withdraw.
“I don’t know what to say,” Djokovic said on the court following the game. He was a much better player, and I feel so bad for him. Tonight, I was headed home.
It’s regrettable that these kinds of incidents occur in sports. I sincerely hope he recovers quickly because, without a doubt, he ought to have won today.
The sport we all love can be brutal sometimes… 💔
WIshing you a speedy recovery, Lorenzo 🙌@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/bC5wLyLrxo
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
