ATP Tour

Musetti on injury heartbreak that he ‘could never imagine’ at Australian Open

Lorenzo Musetti admitted he was struggling for words after being forced to retire while two sets up in his Australian Open quarter-final against Novak Djokovic.

The No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings produced a sublime performance for the best part of two hours on Wednesday to move to the brink of a semi-final spot in Melbourne, but his efforts were undermined by an upper right leg injury. Struggling to move freely, Musetti retired when 1-3 down in the third set and later revealed it had not been a sudden outbreak of pain.

“I felt it at the beginning of the second set,” said Musetti in his post-match press conference. “I felt there was something strange in my right leg. I continued to play, because I was playing really, really, really well, but I was feeling that the pain was increasing, and the problem was not going away.

“At the end, when I took the medical timeout, to stay three minutes, I sat, and when I started to play again, I felt even more and the level of the pain was getting higher and higher. So not much to say about it.”

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Lorenzo Musetti 🫶@AustralianOpen | #AO26 pic.twitter.com/lHq4IcmO7j

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 28, 2026

Musetti was in a prime position to claim his first win against Djokovic at a major in four attempts, and just his second triumph in 11 Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings overall between the two. The 23-year-old, who was competing in his maiden Australian Open quarter-final, acknowledged that the timing of the injury was particularly cruel.

“Definitely, yes,” said Musetti, when asked whether it was the toughest injury-related situation of his career. “Honestly, I never imagined the feeling of leading two sets to zero against Novak and playing like that. Having the lead in the match like that and being forced to retire is something that, of course, I could never imagine. Of course, it's really painful.”

While he attempted to play on even after having treatment from the tournament physio at 1-2 in the second set, Musetti revealed any hopes that he could finish the match were unrealistic.

“It was a little bit too high, so it was impossible to tape it,” said the two-time ATP Tour champion. “I feel personally that I know my body, and I feel personally that I'm kind of secure that this is a tear, unfortunately.”