Lorenzo Musetti experienced one of the toughest moment of his career in the Australian Open quarter-final.
The Italian took the opening two sets against Novak Djokovic before suffering a physical setback and retiring in the third set.
Absolute heartbreak for Lorenzo 💔
The Italian was 2-0 up against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-final before being forced to retire with injury 😰 pic.twitter.com/qCtSnDt4Ai
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) January 28, 2026
Lorenzo returned home and underwent further checks on his troubled right groin. The results were not good, and world no. 5 will have to spend more time off the court.
Musetti withdrew from the upcoming South American clay swing in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, focusing on his recovery and hoping to enter Indian Wells and Miami without issues.
It's another blow for the Italian who embraced his career-best result in Melbourne and completed the quarter-final at all four Majors. Lorenzo had a massive chance to earn his career-best victory against Novak.
The Serb did not play at his best and lost serve five times in the opening two sets. Thus, Musetti moved 6-4, 6-3 in front and closer to a place in the last four and the clash against Jannik Sinner.
However, the young Italian started to feel discomfort in his right leg already in the second set. He brought it home for a massive lead before the injury got worse.
Lorenzo Musetti, Australian Open 2026© Stream screenshot
Lorenzo called for a medical timeout and struggled with his movement even more when he continued the duel. He lost serve early in the third set and allowed Djokovic to open a 3-1 advantage.
Barely moving, Musetti decided to end his miserly in the fifth game, leaving the court heartbroken and propelling the legend into the last four.
"After the results of my medical examinations and tests, my team and I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the upcoming tournaments in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. My focus right now is on my rehabilitation so I can return to the court.
Thank you to everyone for their support and hope to see you soon," Lorenzo Musetti wrote.
