Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of a record Grand Slam title continued at the Australian Open after 5th seed Lorenzo Musetti retired injured during their quarter final at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.
Musetti was leading by 2 sets before withdrawing while trailing 3-1 in the 3rd set. His retirement sent Djokovic through to the semi finals and kept alive the 10 time Australian Open champion’s bid for a 25th major singles title.
Djokovic expressed sympathy for his opponent after the match. “I do not know what to say, except that I feel really sorry for him and he was a far better player,” he said. “He should have been the winner today, there is no doubt.”
The Serbian returned to action after an extended break following a walkover in the 4th round. He made a positive start, using variety to secure an early break of serve, but a series of loose points allowed Musetti to recover and level the opening set before closing it out on serve.
Djokovic later acknowledged that his initial plan did not last. “My strategy worked very well for the first couple of games and then it changed completely,” he said, explaining that Musetti’s variety forced him into errors and disrupted his rhythm across the first 2 sets.
Musetti maintained control early in the 2nd set, breaking serve and extending his advantage to take a 2 set lead. Djokovic received treatment for a blister on his foot but continued and managed to break early in the 3rd set.
Shortly afterwards, Musetti called for medical attention for what appeared to be a right thigh problem. Although he attempted to continue, his movement was clearly affected and he retired 1 game later, prompting a reaction from the Rod Laver Arena crowd.
The result handed Djokovic his 103rd match win at the Australian Open, moving him ahead of Roger Federer for the most victories at the tournament.
Djokovic will face the winner of the quarter final between defending champion Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton. Reflecting on the outcome, he said, “I’m going to double my prayers tonight, for sure, and show gratitude to God for giving me this opportunity.”
