Novak Djokovic did not shy away from admitting that he was quite lucky to reach the semi-finals of the 2026 Australian Open where he will face Jannik Sinner.
Novak Djokovic secured his place in the semi-finals of the 2026 Australian Open on January 28th quite fortunately, when Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire due to injury while leading 6-4, 6-3, 1-3.
Previously, in the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open, Djokovic also did not have to play and advanced because Czech player Jakub Mensik withdrew due to injury.
Djokovic was fortunate to overcome Lorenzo Musetti (Photo: ATP).
Musetti played with great versatility, constantly unsettling Djokovic with his delicate slice shots, quick changes of pace, and net approaches. The Italian player won the first two sets 6-4, 6-3. Djokovic rallied to lead 3-1 after four games in the third set, but an injury forced Lorenzo Musetti to retire.
After the match, Novak Djokovic frankly admitted: "At that moment, I thought I was going home. I couldn't feel the ball in the first two sets. Musetti played much better than me."
I feel so sorry for Lorenzo; he deserved to go through more than I did today. I was incredibly lucky, really lucky. I'll be praying twice tonight, to thank everyone for what happened."
The 23-year-old tennis player Lorenzo Musetti has consistently been unlucky in major tournaments. In his very own match against Djokovic at Roland Garros 2021, Musetti led Djokovic by two sets before suffering cramps and back pain, and ultimately retiring in the fifth set.
At the post-match press conference, Djokovic was asked if having to chase Sinner and Alcaraz at Grand Slam tournaments now reminded him of the early stages of his career, when Nole had to chase Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Djokovic immediately responded.
Djokovic was unhappy about being considered the underdog against Alcaraz and Sinner (Photo: ATP).
Djokovic retorted: "Am I chasing Sinner and Alcaraz? In what sense? Does that mean I'm always the one chasing and never the one being chased? I find it a bit disrespectful that everyone is ignoring what happened in between, when I started chasing Nadal and Federer and now I'm chasing Alcaraz and Sinner."
Between those two periods, I dominated the Grand Slams for 15 years with 24 titles. So, I think it's important to put that in the right context. I don't feel like I'm chasing anyone."
Having made it through the quarterfinals, Djokovic will face Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the 2026 Australian Open at 3:30 PM on January 30th. The other semifinal match between Alcaraz and Zverev will take place at 10:30 AM on the same day.