Novak Djokovic has scraped into the Australian Open semi-finals after a dramatic exit from his quarter-final match against Lorenzo Musetti. The fifth seed, 23 years old and ranked 38th in the world, was leading by two sets but pulled up early in the third set with an injury to his thigh. After receiving treatment, Musetti immediately called for the trainer and walked away from the match at 3-1 down.
Musetti's level of play just made the injury all the more surprising. Despite being broken in the third set, he had been dominating the match before pulling up. His withdrawal left Djokovic to scrape through with a one-set advantage, having won only one of his last five sets since the start of the tournament.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion is now on his way to a semi-final against Jannik Sinner, who beat Ben Shelton 6-3 6-4 6-4 in the other quarter-final. Djokovic has struggled with physical issues early in his career but will be hoping that this win brings him a stroke of luck.
For Djokovic to move ahead of Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles titles, he will need to limit his time on court and keep the points short. He started sharply against Musetti but spectacularly lost his way, sending down just one ace and committing 18 unforced errors in a dismal performance.
Djokovic was often seen as furious with himself after losing the first set, only to regain composure in the second before eventually being pushed hard by Musetti once more. He needed some luck on court for this win but will be hoping that his semi-final match against Sinner is less of an exercise in fortuitousness.
Djokovic's experience and longevity have allowed him to adapt to changing circumstances throughout his career, however, this tournament has highlighted how fragile the balance can be between success and failure.
Musetti's level of play just made the injury all the more surprising. Despite being broken in the third set, he had been dominating the match before pulling up. His withdrawal left Djokovic to scrape through with a one-set advantage, having won only one of his last five sets since the start of the tournament.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion is now on his way to a semi-final against Jannik Sinner, who beat Ben Shelton 6-3 6-4 6-4 in the other quarter-final. Djokovic has struggled with physical issues early in his career but will be hoping that this win brings him a stroke of luck.
For Djokovic to move ahead of Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles titles, he will need to limit his time on court and keep the points short. He started sharply against Musetti but spectacularly lost his way, sending down just one ace and committing 18 unforced errors in a dismal performance.
Djokovic was often seen as furious with himself after losing the first set, only to regain composure in the second before eventually being pushed hard by Musetti once more. He needed some luck on court for this win but will be hoping that his semi-final match against Sinner is less of an exercise in fortuitousness.
Djokovic's experience and longevity have allowed him to adapt to changing circumstances throughout his career, however, this tournament has highlighted how fragile the balance can be between success and failure.
idk wut's goin thru that guy's mind, anyway its on 2 Djokovic now, can't wiat 2 c how he does vs Sinner 
. djokovic is a legend for sure, but this win was definitely some luck on his part 
. can't wait to see how he bounces back against sinner though 
. 20 Grand Slams is insane, but he's been struggling with injuries and it shows. Musetti played way out of his depth there 
Djokovic scraping into the semis is defo a testament to his mental toughness 
he's been through so much in his career already & still manages to perform at high levels 
it's crazy how one bad set can turn the whole match around 2-3 sets down and then boom, out of nowhere 
now on to Djokovic's next match against Sinner, let's see if he can get back on track 
still gotta give him props for making it through though, i feel for musetti tho, was dominating before pulling up 
and now djokovic has a tough one against sinner 
& then musetti just walked away? 
that's some crazy stuff! anyway, djokovic is movin on to the semis now but i gotta say, his game seems kinda wonky rn... all these physical issues are really takin a toll on him 
. and now he's got sinner waitin for him in the semis... good luck with that 
anyway, djokovic is through to the semis which is still a huge achievement 
but honestly, his form has been kinda shaky lately 
needs to work on keeping those points short if he wants to take down sinner 
. I mean, 18 unforced errors is crazy! 
He's still got a lot of work to do if he wants to get past Sinner and make it to the final 
. On the other hand, Musetti showed some serious heart by calling for medical attention and walking away - you've got to respect that 
. Now Djokovic's gonna have to hope his injury doesn't come back to haunt him 
. And then Djokovic just scrapes through on his luck? 18 unforced errors in a set? That's not even tennis anymore 
. He needs to focus on limiting those physical issues and making his shots last longer if he wants to beat Sinner in the semi's 
.
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... one win doesn't necessarily mean the resurgence of old form 
. For him to move ahead of Margaret Court's record, he'll need to find a way to regain his composure on court and maintain that level of consistency 
.
and I gotta say, they're actually pretty good! The sauce is so on point 
. Anyway, back to Djokovic... it's wild how one injury can totally flip the script on a match. I mean, Musetti was playing like a pro before he pulled up, but then just stopped. What's going through his mind at that moment?