Djokovic advances after Musetti retires with injury (1:43)
Lorenzo Musetti is forced to retire with an injury, and Novak Djokovic advances to the Australian Open semifinals despite being down two sets to none. (1:43)
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Jake MichaelsJan 28, 2026, 02:06 AM ET
- Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who has worked for ESPN since 2013. He primarily writes on the AFL, but his assignments have taken him all around the world, covering everything from Formula One to Grand Slam tennis, championship boxing to international basketball, and the Olympic Games.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic advanced to the Australian Open semifinals for the 13th time after Lorenzo Musetti retired from their quarterfinal match in the third set with an injury after taking the first two sets Wednesday night.
Musetti, the No. 5 seed at Melbourne Park, led Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 1-2 when he called for the physiotherapist to attend to an upper right leg injury.
He returned to the court following his brief treatment and played on for another game, only to walk to the net and shake hands with Djokovic moments later, down 1-3 in the third set.
Djokovic will continue his bid for an 11th Australian title and a record 25th major but he says he was lucky this time.
“I don’t know what to say except that I feel really sorry for him,” the 38-year-old Djokovic said in an on-court interview. “He was a far better player — I was on my way home tonight.”
It’s the second time in as many matches that Djokovic advanced due to an injured opponent. He received a walkover in the fourth round when Jakub Mensik withdrew ahead of their match, citing an abdominal strain.
Djokovic will play the winner of Wednesday’s later quarterfinal between No. 8 Ben Shelton and two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
