10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic had the rub of the green on his side as he qualified for the semifinal after Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire due to a hip injury. The Italian played at a very high level and Djokovic had no chance in the first two sets.
However, the number fifth seed looked in discomfort in the third set while trailing 1-3 and decided to retire. Djokovic wished Musetti a speedy recovery and admitted the opponent was a far better player than him.
“I don’t know what to say except I feel really sorry for him and he was a far better player,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview. “I was on my way home tonight. These kinds of things happen in sport. It happened to me a few times, but being in the quarters of a Grand Slam, two sets to love up, and being in full control, it’s so unfortunate. I don’t know what else I can say and I really wish him a speedy recovery. He should have been a winner today, no doubt.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic became just the third man (after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer) to compete in 1,400 tour-level matches on Wednesday. After Musetti retired, the Serbian also consequently passed Federer to claim sole ownership of the record for the most Australian Open singles match wins (103).
Djokovic admitted Musetti forced him to make errors as he lifted his level after the first two games.
“The strategy worked very well for the first couple of games, and then it changed completely,” said Djokovic, who now holds a 10-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead over Musetti. “Four winners in the first two games, and no unforced errors. Then in the rest of the match I had another four winners and probably 40 errors. But that’s what Lorenzo does to you.
“He makes you play. When you think the point is finished, it’s not. Obviously, a bit more wind today, swirly conditions, and when you attack him you don’t know what to expect… What can I say. I tried my best. Yes, I have a blister here and there, but nothing really majorly bothered me. I just wasn’t feeling the ball today in the first couple of sets, but that’s also due to his quality and his variety of game. I’m just extremely lucky to get through this one today.”
Djokovic will next take on Jannik Sinner in the semifinal on Friday.
