Lorenzo Musetti has stormed into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, where he will take on Novak Djokovic.
Musetti is the fifth seed at the hard-court event in Melbourne, where he has just beaten ninth seed Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5, 6-4.
The Italian now takes on 10-time Australian Open champion Djokovic, who is into the quarterfinals after Jakub Mensik withdrew from their fourth round match.
Musetti and Djokovic have met 10 times on the ATP Tour in their careers so far, with the Serbian boasting a dominant 9-1 record.
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Lorenzo Musetti out for ‘revenge’ against Novak Djokovic
Musetti has now previewed the clash, saying of his opponent: “Well, playing against Novak is always challenging, especially here, which he won many, many, many times. He knew pretty well the condition, all the things possible.
“I think it will be a tough match, for sure. Of course, he’s feeling good. He never lost a set. He had the chance to rest for a few days.
“I think at this age, I think he was happy about it, of course, to try to be well-prepared and well-relaxed for this match. But of course we know each other pretty well because we played a lot. Just won once against him.
“Hopefully I’ll take my revenge, because last time in Athens we were really, really close. I feel like I have another chance now.”
And when asked for the two things he thinks are the most difficult when playing Djokovic, Musetti said: “One for sure, you know, facing his character, his status as a player and as a champion, as it is.
“The second one of course the way he turns around sometimes from difficult situations, raising his level, never escaping from a match. That’s the two things I guess that always Novak does.”
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2025 | Novak Djokovic | Athens | Final | Indoor Hard | 46 63 75 |
| 2025 | Novak Djokovic | ATP Masters 1000 Miami | Round of 16 | Outdoor Hard | 62 62 |
| 2024 | Novak Djokovic | Paris Olympics | Semifinal | Outdoor Clay | 64 62 |
| 2024 | Novak Djokovic | Wimbledon | Semifinal | Outdoor Grass | 64 76(2) 64 |
| 2024 | Novak Djokovic | Roland Garros | Round of 32 | Outdoor Clay | 75 67(6) 26 63 60 |
| 2024 | Novak Djokovic | ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo | Round of 16 | Outdoor Clay | 75 63 |
| 2023 | Lorenzo Musetti | ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo | Round of 16 | Outdoor Clay | 46 75 64 |
| 2022 | Novak Djokovic | ATP Masters 1000 Paris | Quarterfinal | Indoor Hard | 60 63 |
| 2022 | Novak Djokovic | Dubai | Round of 32 | Outdoor Hard | 63 63 |
| 2021 | Novak Djokovic | Roland Garros | Round of 16 | Outdoor Clay | 67(7) 67(2) 61 60 40 RET |
Lorenzo Musetti thrilled to beat Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open
While Musetti now has a very tough task ahead, he will be full of confidence after making career history in Melbourne.
He’s just taken on Rod Laver Arena for the first time as a professional, and said of the experience: “Well, I think today was a pretty special performance because first match in such a big stage for me.
“I have great memories from juniors, which I lifted the trophy in the juniors. But of course never had the chance to play in the professional in such a beautiful court and with such great atmosphere.
“I think today I managed really well. Was a solid performance. I prepared the match pretty well. I’ve done everything that I needed to do to beat Taylor, who is such a great opponent. So really happy to be in the quarters for the first time.”
How far do you think Novak Djokovic will go at the Australian Open?
Not only has he made his Rod Laver Arena debut, but Musetti has now managed to reach at least the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slams.
The Australian Open was the last major remaining, with the Italian having reached that stage of the US Open, along with the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon.
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