ATP Tour

Musetti retires vs. Djokovic after taking two-set lead in Australian Open QF

Lorenzo Musetti’s hopes of ending his Grand Slam drought against Novak Djokovic were dashed in cruel fashion on Wednesday afternoon in Melbourne. The Italian was forced to retire while leading 6-4, 6-3, 1-3 in the pair’s Australian Open quarter-final clash.

Stepping onto Rod Laver Arena having lost all three previous meetings with Djokovic at the majors, Musetti had produced a superb all-around quarter-final display to open a two-set lead, but he appeared to injure his upper right leg in the third game of the third set. Although the Italian tried to continue after receiving treatment from the physio at 1-2, he was ultimately forced to stop after two hours and eight minutes of play.

“I don’t know what to say except I feel really sorry for him and he was a far better player,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview. “I was on my way home tonight. These kinds of things happen in sport. It happened to me a few times, but being in the quarters of a Grand Slam, two sets to love up, and being in full control, it’s so unfortunate. I don’t know what else I can say and I really wish him a speedy recovery. He should have been a winner today, no doubt.”

By stepping on court Wednesday, Djokovic became just the third man (after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer) to compete in 1,400 tour-level matches. After Musetti retired, the Serbian also consequently passed Federer to claim sole ownership of the record for the most Australian Open singles match wins (103). Yet the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings will know he will have to produce a markedly improved performance if he wants to overcome two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in the final four.

Prior to his injury, the World No. 5 Musetti had rarely looked back after overturning an early 0-2 deficit in the opening set. He broke Djokovic’s serve five times across the first two sets, according to Infosys Stats, while the Serbian — who was playing his first match since Saturday after advancing through the fourth round via walkover — struggled to find any rhythm with his aggressive game plan from the baseline.

“The strategy worked very well for the first couple of games, and then it changed completely,” said Djokovic, who now holds a 10-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead over Musetti. “Four winners in the first two games, and no unforced errors. Then in the rest of the match I had another four winners and probably 40 errors. But that’s what Lorenzo does to you.

“He makes you play. When you think the point is finished, it’s not. Obviously, a bit more wind today, swirly conditions, and when you attack him you don’t know what to expect… What can I say. I tried my best. Yes, I have a blister here and there, but nothing really majorly bothered me. I just wasn’t feeling the ball today in the first couple of sets, but that’s also due to his quality and his variety of game. I’m just extremely lucky to get through this one today.”