Novak Djokovic benefits from the injury of his Italian opponent Lorenzo Musetti in his quarterfinal victory. Musetti had previously dominated the match.
Drama in Melbourne! Novak Djokovic has luckily reached the semifinals in his quest for his 25th Grand Slam title because his opponent Lorenzo Musetti had to retire after leading 2-0 in sets in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
With the score at 6-4, 6-3, 1-3 in his favor, the Italian, who had injured his thigh shortly before, ended the match prematurely.
“I don’t know what to say. I feel very sorry for him, he was the better player. I was on my way home,“ said the Serb in an interview on court.
”What a drama“
He added: ”It’s happened to me before, I can only wish him a speedy recovery. I was just lucky.“
On Eurosport, expert Barbara Rittner was shocked by the scenes: ”That’s terrible. I’m incredibly sorry. I hope nothing is torn. What a drama, what a disappointment. The whole audience is stunned.”
Djokovic himself struggled with blisters
Djokovic, who was struggling with a large blister on his foot, can now continue to hope for his eleventh title at his favorite tournament.
Last year, the 38-year-old veteran reached the semifinals at all four Grand Slams. This is his 54th appearance in the semifinals of one of the four most important tennis tournaments.
Will Sinner follow Djokovic into the semifinals?
Musetti, on the other hand, bitterly missed out on his third semifinal ticket at a major. He could have faced an all-Italian duel on Friday with defending champion Jannik Sinner, who will face Ben Shelton later in the day (from 9 a.m. in the live ticker). Now Djokovic faces the challenge of Sinner. At first, the extra two days’ rest didn’t seem to give the Serb any advantage against Musetti. Djokovic didn’t have to play in the round of 16 because his opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew due to injury.
Musetti can’t go on
The well-known blister on his foot was bothering him again, and after the second set he had new bandages applied.
Shortly thereafter, however, it was suddenly his opponent who needed treatment. Musetti was having problems with his adductors in his right thigh. After that, the Italian, who had been playing outstandingly well, tried to keep the rallies short, but he was visibly inhibited. “That’s not his game—I’m curious to see how long that will work,” said Rittner during the match. It didn’t work for long—after 2 hours and 8 minutes, the match was over.
