A heartbroken Lorenzo Musetti told reporters that he never could have imagined having to retire when leading Novak Djokovic two sets to love.
The Italian led the ten-time Australian Open champion two sets to love on Wednesday afternoon before he pulled the pin in the third set due to an injury in his leg.
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While an exact diagnosis remains unknown until he receives scans, Musetti said “I know my body and I feel personally, kind of secure that it is a tear”.
He believes it is either an adductor or hip flexor tear, but will find out in the coming days.
The fifth seed has had injury derail tournaments in the past, most notably in a semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros last year, but said this was easily the most crushing blow of his career.
The 23-year-old won the first set against Alcaraz in Paris before calling it quits in the fourth set, but he was in disbelief at having his foot on Novak Djokovic’s throat at Melbourne Park.
“Definitely, yes,” Musetti replied when asked if this was the worst of his retirements.
“Honestly I never imagined the feeling of leading two sets to zero against Novak and playing like that.
“And leading the match like that, and being forced to retire, is something that I never imagined and it is really painful.”
Musetti forced to retire against Djoker | 01:06
Musetti took a medical timeout after Djokovic broke his serve to take a 2-1 lead in the third set.
The Serbian took a medical timeout of his own only three games earlier to deal with a blister on his foot, so the Italian tried to push on with Djokovic on the ropes.
He could only last one more game, however.
The 2025 Wimbledon semi-finalist revealed that he first felt a niggle much earlier in the match.
But the adrenaline of playing one of the matches of his life kept him pursing a place in the final four in Melbourne for the first time.
“I felt it at the beginning of the second set,” Musetti said.
“I felt there was something strange in my right leg and I continued to play because I was playing really, really well.
“But I was feeling that the pain was increasing and the problem was not going away.
“When I took the medical timeout and was seated and then I started to play again I felt it even more.
“It was getting higher and higher the level of the pain.”
Djokovic said in his press conference that Musetti did a good job of masking the pain for roughly an hour.
He said before entering the media centre that he had spoken to his former agent Edoardo Artaldi, who told him that Musetti had felt the issue early in the second set.
“Honestly, the first time I saw him struggling a bit was in the third game of the third set when I broke his serve,” Djokovic said.
“I didn’t feel that in the second set it effected his game much but it probably got worse.”
Making the injury all the more devastating for Musetti is that even though he has a history of setbacks, he said this one came out of the blue.
“We’ve done all the exams and tests before starting the season to see and try to prevent these kinds of injuries,” he said when asked if there was anything pointing towards him breaking down.
Djokovic: “He was a far better player!” | 01:01
“Nothing came out so I honestly have no words to describe how I’m feeling right now.”
Djokovic insisted that he knows Musetti’s pain, however.
The 24-time grand slam champion retired one set into his semi-final against Alexander Zverev at last year’s Australian Open.
“It happened to me several times last year,” Djokovic said.
“It’s horrible. Particularly when you are feeling you are playing very well like he was. you can’t perform the way you want. your body’s not letting you and that’s a hard one to swallow.”
As for his own fitness ahead of semi-final clash with either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton, Djokovic insisted that he has no serious issues.
The 38-year-old was visibly hampered on Wednesday afternoon despite having an extra’s two days rest due to a fourth round walkover.
But he claims that was a result of nothing more than the blister on his foot.
“I had the blister that needed to be looked at re-taped,” Djokovic said.
“That’s what I did last match and now.
“That’s the biggest of my concerns.
“I don’t have any major issues.
“You always have some minor issues but major issues, no.”
Djoker hits back at ‘chasing’ claim | 01:10
Later in the press conference, Djokovic was displeased with a question about him “chasing” Sinner and Alcaraz after having done so with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal earlier in his career.
He stressed that he “dominated the grand slams” for roughly “15 years” in between those two periods, and that history will always hold him in good stead.
Even if he acknowledges that he needs to raise his level on Friday.
“I think I have underperformed for the level I have shown throughout this tournament up to today,” Djokovic said.
“I have to play better, no doubt it.
“I know that if I’m feeling well and the body’s holding on, then I always have a chance.”
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