Lorenzo Musetti’s 2026 Australian Open quickly turned from a near certain triumph to tragedy, over the course of three sets against Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. The sad end of his tournament due to injury should not dim the praise around the strides he made as a newly top 5 player during the tournament however, as he was an injury away from the semifinals, and possibly more.
Lorenzo Musetti’s Tragic Retirement
In Novak Djokovic’s own words, “I was headed on my way home tonight”, he was beaten by Lorenzo Musetti, the Italian world #5 was cruising up 6-4 6-3 on the men’s Grand Slam singles leader, before a groin/abductor injury left him in serious pain and unable to move his feet properly. The injury was worsening, and it was not a problem that treatment could solve. Facing the risk of a tear or a more serious injury that could keep him out for months, Musetti did the brave thing, with a sad look on his face, and an emotion of heartbreak, he stepped forward to retire and shake Novak Djokovic’s hand. The Serbian superstar was lucky, having advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Australian Open with consecutive injury retirements.
Before the injury, Musetti was showcasing his game, a game not built on raw power but rather great tactics and creative shotmaking. Prior to the match, Djokovic boasted a 9-1 h2h edge on the Italian, they played a classic three-set battle in Athens to end the season, and Musetti’s only win had come in three sets on clay in Monte Carlo nearly three years ago.
Despite that disparity, Musetti looked like the fitter, more focused, and more tactically sound player in the matchup, it was only his body that let him down. He is finally playing up to a level that will allow him to compete for the biggest titles in tennis at age 23.
Musetti’s Tremendous January
Musetti will end January 2026 with a 7-2 record after posting 44 ATP wins last year, a career high. He reached the final in Hong Kong prior to the AO, scoring a big win over Andrey Rublev. His opponents at the Australian Open were not a walk in the park, Raphael Collignon battled him for four sets before retiring himself in round 1.
Fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego was a test in round 2, and Tomas Machac took two sets against Musetti, forcing a 5th set where the Italian had the guile and endurance to prevail. Against fellow top 10 player Taylor Fritz in the round of 16, Musetti was clinical and won in straight sets.
While he doesn’t get to claim a third career Grand Slam semifinal, the quarterfinal in Melbourne was his best ever result at the tournament, and continues his strong trendline from 2024 where he reached the quarterfinals at the US Open and the semifinals at the French Open. Defending those French Open semifinal points will be critical, depending on how long Musetti is injured. His retirement is a reminder of how physically demanding tennis is, especially singles.
Musetti’s Injury Prognosis
Musetti made a statement after the match that included the following quote
“I felt it (the injury) at the beginning of the second set,” “I felt there was something strange in my right leg. 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.”
“However, during a medical timeout the situation began to worsen. “When I sat down for three minutes and stayed longer in the same position, the pain immediately started to increase. Then I was feeling it especially when I was hitting the forehand in the open stance. I couldn’t come back to the middle. At that point, I could not really play.”
Because he didn’t risk further injury, Musetti’s chances of returning sooner rather than later are significant. It would be unrealistic to see him any sooner than the week of February 16th (ATP Rio), but perhaps more realistically, the ATP Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open is the week of March 1st, with the Miami Open taking place two weeks later, the week of March 14th. It’s relatively likely that Musetti will pull out of ATP Buenos Aires where he is currently scheduled.
In terms of points, Musetti is defending a 2025 quarterfinal in Buenos Aires, a third round in Miami, and a second round in Indian Wells, before a big batch of ranking points comes due. Musetti was a finalist at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters and will want to be fit to defend those points.
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