Novak Djokovic has squeezed through to the semifinals of the Australian Open after Lorenzo Musetti retired during their quarterfinal.
Djokovic was two sets down to Musetti when the Italian decided he could no longer continue playing at Rod Laver Arena.
The Serbian had only just received a similar breakthrough at the Australian Open, with Djokovic given a fourth round walkover after the withdrawal of Jakub Mensik.
Against Musetti, Djokovic was trailing 4-6, 3-6, 3-1 after two hours and eight minutes of action, during which both players received medical treatment.
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Novak Djokovic highlights blister as his only injury concern
Musetti will now leave Melbourne in heartbreaking circumstances, with Djokovic sharing an update on his condition after the match.
“Well, I had a blister that needed to be looked at and retaped,” he said. “That’s what I did last match and now.
“That’s the biggest of my concerns, to be honest. I don’t have any other major issues. I mean, you always have some minor issues with your body, at least for me every single day.
“But major issues, no. Thankfully, that’s still not posing a challenge for me and obstacle in order for me to be able to play and move around the way I want to.
“Yeah, it is a very physical game. I mean, it’s an individual sport, so I think today’s example with Musetti is really clearly showing how challenging this sport is.
“He was a better player on the court. He was close to winning it. He was in control, and then obviously something happens.
“If you are part of the team sports, then maybe you go out and somebody substitutes you for a set, and then you attend to your physical issue and maybe get a better chance to close out the match, but that’s not possible in our sport.
“That’s the beauty of tennis as an individual sport but also a huge challenge. You always have to be at your best, and particularly at these final stages of a Grand Slam.
“We all put in the hours. We all try to work hard, but sometimes things like this happen in the heat of the battle where you are straining your body and taking the body to the fullest of the limits.
“Emotions play a big part. Obviously you tense up, so you are not moving as fluidly as you are maybe in practice sessions, and then there is a high risk of injury, which is what happened to me, to be honest, several times last year at a Slam, so I know exactly the feeling.
“It’s horrible, particularly when you are feeling you’re playing very well, like he was, and you can’t perform the way you want to. It’s just your body is not letting you. That’s a hard one to swallow, but that’s the sport we are in.”
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It is truly heartbreaking for Musetti, and another huge slice of luck for Djokovic in his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title.
But it was a significant encounter in more ways than one for the Serbian, who has just played his 1,400th match on the ATP Tour.
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Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors are the only other players to have hit that milestone, but Djokovic boasts the best winning percentage of the trio.
He has won 1,167 of those matches for a win percentage of 83.4%, compared to figures of 82% and 81.8% for Federer and Connors respectively.
The Swiss legend, a former fierce rival of Djokovic, played 1,526 matches, behind only the 1,557 of American icon Connors.
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