Lorenzo Musetti and Alexander Zverev’s Australian Open exhibition match ended prematurely…
Landing in Melbourne after a busy week in Hong Kong, Musetti was straight back to it, taking on Zverev in an exhibition.
A thrilling first set went all the way to a tiebreaker, as both players seemed to forget they weren’t actually playing the Australian Open!
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However, after Zverev won the tiebreaker 7-6 [9-7], Musetti retired from the match with a hip injury.
Addressing the crowd after the match, Musetti apologised.
Lorenzo Musetti says he is ‘really sorry’ for retiring vs Alexander Zverev
“I guess today is not my day,” said Musetti.
“I’m really sorry, guys.
“I wish I could continue, but I don’t want to risk too much for the real matches, so I hope you appreciate the set that we played.
“I enjoyed it so much, thanks again for supporting us throughout the year, not just today.”
Musetti’s decision to retire was supported by former doubles player Ryan Harrison, who made this comment during the broadcast.
“You’ve got to be smart here,” he said.
“You want to give the fans a show, but that was a heck of an opening set…
Germany’s Andrea Petkovic then shared her thoughts on the injury.
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“He seems to be touching his upper-glute muscle,” she said.
“This is very typical after long flights. After long flights, your back is really stiff, and you take that extra step…
“Hopefully it’s just a muscle stiffening up rather than anything else.”
Sharing some kind words with Musetti, Zverev praised his Italian opponent after the match.
“I want to give credit to Lorenzo, he came from Hong Kong last night, to come out on the court is a big effort,” he said.
“I think not a lot of players would have done it. A lot of players would have cancelled the match.
“Credit to you, it’s amazing the effort you put in for this exhibition, and I wish you all the best for the real tournament.”
Musetti certainly deserves credit for playing the match, given the week he had in Hong Kong.
Reaching the singles and doubles (With Lorenzo Sonego) finals at the Hong Kong Open, Musetti played seven total matches.
Lorenzo Musetti at the 2026 Hong Kong Open
| Date | Tournament | Round | Opponent(s) | Result | Score |
| January 5, 2026 | Doubles | R16 | Miomir Kecmanovic/Alexandre Muller | WIN | 7-6, 6-4 |
| January 7, 2026 | Singles | R16 | Tomas Martin Etcheverry | WIN | 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 |
| January 8, 2026 | Doubles | QF | Alexander Erler/Robert Galloway | WIN | 5-7, 6-3, 10-4 |
| January 9, 2026 | Singles | QF | Coleman Wong | WIN | 6-4, 6-4 |
| January 10, 2026 | Singles | SF | Andrey Rublev | WIN | 6-7, 7-5, 6-4 |
| January 11, 2026 | Singles | F | Alexander Bublik | LOSS | 6-7, 3-6 |
| January 11, 2026 | Doubles | SF | Coleman Wong/Gabriel Diallo | Walkover | Walkover |
| January 11, 2026 | Doubles | F | Andrey Rublev/Karen Khachanov | WIN | 6-4, 2-6, 10-1 |
Looking ahead to the future, Zverev is expecting big things from Musetti.
“He is definitely somebody that potentially can win Grand Slams, can win Masters Series, and we’re going to see that over the next couple of years,” he said.
Musetti and Zverev have both yet to win a Grand Slam title, but could be in with a chance of doing so at the 2026 Australian Open…
Alexander Zverev and Lorenzo Musetti’s Grand Slam records
Many believe that Zverev is the greatest player never to win a major title.
The 28-year-old is a three-time runner-up, losing two five-set finals.
| Grand Slam | Best result | 2025 result | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Australian Open | F – 2025 | F | 31-10 | 76% |
| French Open | F – 2024 | QF | 38-10 | 79% |
| Wimbledon | 4R – 2017, 2021, 2024 | 1R | 16-9 | 64% |
| US Open | F – 2020 | 3R | 28-10 | 74% |
He reached the final of the Australian Open 12 months ago, losing to Italy’s Jannik Sinner.
Sinner’s fellow Italian, Musetti, has only ever won three matches Down Under, struggling at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.
| Grand Slam | Best result | 2025 result | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Australian Open | 3R – 2025 | 3R | 3-4 | 43% |
| French Open | SF – 2025 | SF | 13-5 | 72% |
| Wimbledon | SF – 2024 | 1R | 7-5 | 58% |
| US Open | QF – 2025 | QF | 9-5 | 64% |
Whether he can improve that record in 2026 remains to be seen…
The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 18.
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