In a dramatic turn of events at Melbourne Park on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Novak Djokovic advanced to his 13th Australian Open semi-final after Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire due to an upper-right leg injury.
Djokovic, who was being comprehensively outplayed for the first two hours, trailing 6-4, 6-3, 1-3, admitted post-match that he felt “extremely lucky” and “was on his way home” before the Italian’s unfortunate injury.
Match Breakdown: A Tale of Two Halves
- Musetti’s Dominance: The 23-year-old Italian (World No. 5) looked set for a career-defining win. He was in full control, breaking Djokovic’s serve five times in the first two sets and striking spectacular backhand winners.
- The Injury: During the third game of the third set, Musetti suffered a sudden groin/thigh injury. Despite a medical timeout at 1-2, he found it impossible to move and eventually shook hands with Djokovic while leading the set count.
- Djokovic’s Struggle: The 24-time Grand Slam champion struggled with his own rhythm, recording nearly 40 unforced errors in the first two sets and requiring treatment for blisters on his right foot.
Milestones & Records Broken
By stepping onto the court on Wednesday, Djokovic added three massive entries to the history books:
- Match Wins Record: He surpassed Roger Federer to become the sole owner of the record for most Australian Open singles match wins (103).
- 1,400 Matches: He became only the third man in the Open Era (after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer) to compete in 1,400 tour-level matches.
- Oldest Semi-Finalist: At 38, he is the second-oldest men’s singles semi-finalist in Australian Open history, behind only Ken Rosewall.
What’s Next? The Semi-Final Clash
Djokovic now faces his toughest test yet as he pursues a record 25th Grand Slam.
- Opponent: He will play Jannik Sinner (the two-time defending champion) in the semi-finals on Friday, January 30. Sinner advanced earlier today with a dominant straight-sets victory over Ben Shelton.
- The Walkover Factor: Interestingly, Djokovic has not won a full set on merit in the second week of the tournament, having received back-to-back walkovers (from Jakub Menšík in the Round of 16 and Musetti in the Quarters).