Novak Djokovic was on his way home. Two sets down to Lorenzo Musetti, the dream of a record 25th grand slam title at the Australian Open looked to be fading from sight.
He could have had no complaints, such was his difficultly in keeping the ball in the court as the timing of his shots abandoned him. The unforced error count stood at 31 and was rising. A troublesome blister on his right toe forced a medical timeout.
But then the tennis gods answered his prayers, while dealing Musetti the cruelest of blows. After first noticing “something strange” in his right leg at the beginning of the second set, the pain Musetti was dealing with became too much to bear. The look on the Italian’s face as he winced towards his coaches said it all: he was done. Unable to run side to side, he was forced to retire. “There are no words,” said the devastated 23-year-old.
“I don’t know what to say except that I feel really sorry for him and he was a far better player”, a stunned Djokovic said after applauding Musetti off the court. ”I was on my way home tonight. He should have been a winner today, there’s no doubt.
“I’m just extremely lucky to get to get through this one today. I had a walkover in the fourth round. Today, I should have been beaten. Two sets down and I get the win. So I mean, I’m gonna double my prayers tonight for sure, and give gratitude to God for really giving me this opportunity once again. I’m gonna do my best in a couple of days to use it.”
It certainly feels like there is someone, somewhere watching over Djokovic and guiding the 38-year-old towards what would be a historic, record 25th grand slam title at the Australian Open.
He received a walkover from the fourth round when his opponent, the talented Czech Jakub Mensik, withdrew due to an abdominal injury. Djokovic also narrowly avoided being defaulted from the tournament after striking a ball near the head of a ball girl during his third-round win over Botic van de Zandschulp.
Djokovic will also arrive at the business end of the tournament after playing just 11 full sets in Melbourne, his time on court reduced first by three efficient straight-sets wins, then a walkover, and now a retirement when a five-set comeback was required. At 38, he will have plenty left in the tank, which is exactly what Djokovic needed after admitting he “ran out of gas” in defeats to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in grand slams semi-finals last year.
But luck can only stretch so far and Djokovic knows he will need a massive improvement when he faces Sinner in their latest semi-final showdown on Friday. Two years ago, Sinner ended Djokovic’s 33-match winning run at the Australian Open with his breakthrough win at the grand slam level. Since then, the second seed has made it five wins in a row against Djokovic, flipping their head-to-head, and it is the Italian who now carries a 19-match winning streak in Melbourne. “He is the absolute favourite. Hopefully I can deliver my A-game because that’s what’s going to be needed at least to have a chance,” said Djokovic.
He admitted he lacked rhythm against Musetti, having not played since Saturday due to the fourth-round walkover. On paper, it should have helped Djokovic, but Musetti was running away with the quarter-final and dominating the rallies with his variety and spin before injury struck. ”To be quite frank, I have no idea at this stage of my career what really serves me, what doesn’t,” Djokovic admitted.
He gets another opportunity to figure that out, while finding himself in a position that he absolutely would have taken before the start of the tournament. Given the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, Djokovic would have accepted that facing one of them would have been a certainty had he continued his streak of grand slam semi-finals. But he has arrived having spent just over nine hours on court, two hours less than Sinner. Apart from a blister on his right toe that required in-match treatment against Musetti, which Djokovic said is not hindering his movement, there are no major physical issues to report.
The problem is the match-up. Since saving match points against Djokovic in a Davis Cup semi-final in November 2023, Sinner has owned his rivalry with the 24-time grand slam champion. Backing up that victory in Malaga, Sinner’s victory against Djokovic in the Australian Open two years ago proved transformative in the course of his career, leading to the first of his four grand slam titles. Last year, he beat Djokovic in the semi-finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon without dropping a set. “When you make the step ahead in final of a grand slam and winning against Novak, it does change [things] a bit,” said Sinner. “In the same time, you have to do it over and over again.”
It is Djokovic who will take on the role of disruptor now, still there even thought he was heading home. A 25th grand slam title remains tantalising close and he will need a lot more than luck for the challenge that now faces him, beating Sinner and then likely Alcaraz over best-of-five sets. “Are they better right now than me and all the other guys? Yes, they are. I mean, the quality and the level is amazing. It’s great. It’s phenomenal,” Djokovic said. “But does that mean that I walk out with a white flag? No. I’m going to fight until the last shot, until the last point, and do my very best to challenge them.”
