"It’s something I would never imagine, and of course it’s really painful": Lorenzo Musetti faces heartbreak as injury rips away potential Djokovic triumph

Lorenzo Musetti’s Australian Open quarter-final came to a heartbreaking end after the Italian was forced to retire injured despite holding a commanding two-sets-to-love lead over Novak Djokovic.

Musetti had been producing some of the best tennis of his career against the 10-time Australian Open champion, dictating play with confidence and control, before a problem in his right leg began to derail what had looked like a breakthrough Melbourne moment.

The issue first surfaced early in the second set, with Musetti admitting he immediately sensed something was wrong.

“I felt it at the beginning of the second set,” he explained. “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.”

Despite the discomfort, Musetti pushed on, aided by a strong serving performance and the momentum he had built against Djokovic. However, the situation worsened following a medical timeout taken by his opponent.

“When he took the medical timeout and stayed three minutes out, I was seated,” Musetti said. “When I started to play again, I felt it even more. The level of the pain was getting higher and higher. So, not much to say about it.”

The 22-year-old was eventually left with no choice but to retire, cutting short a match in which he had stunned Rod Laver Arena by racing into a two-set lead against one of the greatest players in the sport’s history.

Asked about the broader concern of suffering another injury setback, Musetti admitted the moment was particularly hard to process, especially given the preventative work done ahead of the season.

“We have done all the exams and tests before starting the season to try to prevent these kinds of injuries, and they said nothing came out,” he said. “Honestly, I have no words to describe how I’m feeling right now and how tough this injury is for me at this moment.”

Musetti revealed taping had not been an option during the match due to the location of the pain, and while he stopped short of offering a diagnosis, he acknowledged his fears.

“To tape it was a little bit too high, so it was impossible,” he said. “I feel personally that I know my body, and I’m kind of secure that this is a tear, unfortunately. I’m not a doctor, but I don’t know if it’s the adductor or the iliopsoas — it’s over there. Of course, I will do all the exams when I come back home, and of course I will update you guys.”

The emotional weight of the retirement was heightened by the stage and the quality of tennis Musetti had been producing. Leading Djokovic by two sets was a scenario he had never imagined, let alone losing it in such cruel circumstances.

“Definitely, yes,” he said when asked if this was the hardest one to take. “Honestly, I never imagined the feeling of leading two sets to zero against Novak and playing like that, having the lead of the match like that, and then being forced to retire.

“It’s something I would never imagine, and of course it’s really painful.”

Musetti confirmed the injury was to the same leg that troubled him during his match against Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros last year, although he was unsure whether it was the same issue. “It was the same leg, the right one, but I don’t feel it’s at the same point,” he said. “It’s tough to say now because I’m going to have to check properly and clear out what it is, and also think about the approach to rehabilitation and recovery.”

Reflecting on how long he tried to play through the pain, Musetti revealed he managed almost the entirety of the second set before the situation became untenable. “I played almost all the second set like that,” he said. “The serve was helping me a lot, and I was trying to push a little bit from the baseline. I was feeling the ball pretty well today, so I was managing to stay there and not really look at the pain.

“But 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.

“So unfortunately, there was no sense and no way to tape it or do something to continue to play.”

For Musetti, the Australian Open quarter-final will be remembered not for what was achieved, but for what might have been — a rare position of dominance over Djokovic, cut short by yet another cruel injury at a pivotal moment in his career.