Lorenzo Musetti was marching toward a notable victory over Novak Djokovic at Rod Laver Arena.
The Italian led the Serb 6-4, 6-3, 1-3 in the Australian Open quarter-final before retiring due to an injury setback.
Absolute heartbreak for Lorenzo Musetti 💔
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 outplayed Novak in the opening two sets, providing five breaks and keeping the ten-time champion behind. However, the Italian started to feel pain in his right groin in the second set.
He managed the issue and claimed the set, but the injury only got worse. He took a medical timeout and struggled to move properly after that, with his body cooling down and his leg hurting even more.
Musetti suffered a break early in the third set and retired in the fifth game for one of the biggest setbacks of his career, although it's not the first one against Djokovic at Majors.
Lorenzo fears it's a tear, and he will provide more information when he examines further checks at home. Djokovic will face Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in his 13th Australian Open semi-final.
Lorenzo Musetti, Australian Open 2026© Stream screenshot
"I started to feel discomfort at the start of the second set. I felt something strange in my right leg. I played really well, and I kept going. However, the pain was increasing, and the problem was not going away.
I took a medical timeout and rested for a couple of minutes. When I started playing again, the pain became even more intense. At that point, there was not much to say or do. I have no words to describe how I feel now – this really hurts me.
Strapping was impossible because the affected area was too high. I know my body, and I'm pretty sure it's a tear. It seems to be toward the adductor or nearby. I will do further tests when I get home.
I never imagine this would happen to me from two sets to love against Novak and after the way I played. It's extremely painful. My serve worked well and I pushed from the baseline after feeling the ball nicely.
I could have continued, but the pain increased after the medical timeout. I could no longer run back to the center of the court after hitting my forehand, and there was no sense of continuing," Lorenzo Musetti said.
