Novak Djokovic is into the Australian Open semifinals by the skin of his teeth after Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire during their quarterfinal.
Musetti retired hurt against Djokovic with the match at 6-4, 6-3, 1-3 in favor of the Italian, who couldn’t play on due to a groin injury.
Like his ATP rival, Djokovic received medical treatment during the clash at Rod Laver Arena, but he now looks set to take on Jannik Sinner at the same venue.
The pair will meet in the semifinals of the Australian Open, with Sinner having experienced injury issues of his own at the Grand Slam too.
Who is going to win the men’s Australian Open title?
Lorenzo Musetti exposes Novak Djokovic’s overhead weakness
Djokovic has definitely been riding his luck at this year’s tournament, with Jakub Mensik’s Australian Open withdrawal having handed him a walkover in the fourth round.
And the Serbian looked certain to go crashing out against Musetti, who was producing a tactical masterclass against the veteran.
The Italian had just one win from his 10 ATP meetings with Djokovic, and would have undoubtedly been low on confidence going into the match.
But he completely flipped the script in Melbourne, largely by giving his opponent overheads time and again.
How far do you think Novak Djokovic will go at the Australian Open?
Musetti clearly did his homework in that regard, although Djokovic openly admitted that it is indeed the weakest area of his game in his post-match interview.
He said of his opponent: “Obviously a bit more wind today, swirly conditions, and when you attack him you don’t know what to expect.
“Whether it’s going to be a passing shot cross court or short slice or he is going to full flat in your body or just a looping ball to my weakest shot, which is overhead. I think we have seen that today again!”
It was quite the admission from the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who could find that Sinner will adopt a similar approach to his fellow Italian Musetti next time out.
Why Jannik Sinner will be confident of beating Novak Djokovic
While Sinner would be wise to exploit Djokovic’s clear overhead weakness, he arguably doesn’t even need to.
The four-time Grand Slam champion will likely focus on his own game in their semifinal, in which he will be the favorite to come out on top.
That will put some form of pressure on Sinner, but the two-time defending champion is more than capable of dealing with such pressure.
He also has history on his side against the 38-year-old, having won six of their 10 previous meetings on the ATP Tour.
Moreover, Sinner has won their last five matches, along with their only Australian Open clash in the 2024 semifinals.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
