Australian Open record winner Novak Djokovic is also in the semi-finals in Melbourne this year. On Wednesday (January 28, 2026), this was not due to the Serb himself, but rather to his opponent Lorenzo Musetti, who had to give up due to a muscle injury after a two-set lead (6:4, 6:3) at the start of the third round when the score was 1:3.
The Italian had previously dominated the Serb in all points. Djokovic never found his game, Musetti was clearly the better player in the first two sets. After quickly falling behind 0-2 in the first round, the 23-year-old literally turned up the heat and took the first set with two breaks, then the second set shortly afterwards.
Partial standing tennis by Musetti
Clearly: Musetti was on the winning track. Until the drama of the day unfolded at the beginning of the third round. With a forehand, the Italian stopped abruptly, looked up in shock and immediately signaled that he would need medical help at the next break.
He got that too, but it didn’t make it any better. Visibly weakened by the muscle injury, Musetti tried again, fought his way through a few rallies with standing tennis, but then realized his own body and gave up, visibly desperate.
Djokovic: “He was clearly the better player”
Djokovic, who had already progressed without a fight a round earlier because his opponent Jakub Mensik did not take part in the match due to an abdominal muscle injury, could not really be happy, but is now in the semi-finals for the tenth time in Melbourne. And: Every time he reached this round in his career Down Under, he also won the tournament.
“I don’t know what to say,” Djokovic explained in an on-court interview after the game. “I’m so sorry for him. He was clearly the better player, I was already on my way home. He should have been the winner today, without a doubt. I was just lucky today.” The Serb will face either defending champion Jannik Sinner from Italy or American Ben Shelton in the semifinals on Friday. In the other semi-final, Alexander Zverev will face world number one Carlos Alcaraz from Spain on Friday.
