Lorenzo Musetti vs. Novak Djokovic: among the precedents, there is no shortage of surprises

Six previous between Lorenzo Musetti and Novak Djokovic

Anticipation is growing for the semifinals of the Wimbledon tournament, with the Italian public focused on Lorenzo Musetti, who will play for access to the final act of the London tournament against the eternal Novak Djokovic, who is in the hunt for a 10th final of the only Slam tournament played on grass. The two have faced each other six times on the major circuit, and there has been no shortage of surprises in the past.

In fact, Musetti had already cornered Djokovic in the first direct clash, dating back to the round of 16 at Roland Garros 2021: the Carrara player had in fact been able to win the first two sets, before succumbing to physical problems that would force him into a painful retirement in the fifth and decisive fraction: 6-7(7), 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-0, 4-0 (ret.) the final score.

More one-sided were the next two encounters between the two: at the Dubai 2022 round of 16, Djokovic had won 6-3, 6-3, while at the Paris-Bercy quarterfinals in the same year, Nole had won with an even more clear-cut 6-0, 6-3. But the following direct clash, the one in Monte Carlo 2023, would tell a very different story…

In the round of 16 of the Principality’s Masters 1000, in fact, Musetti had obtained his first (and so far only) success against Djokovic, imposing himself in a comeback: 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 the score in favor of the Carrara native. The last two precedents, however, date back to 2024: Djokovic’s rematch right in the round of 16 in Monte Carlo, 7-5, 6-3, a more suffered success at Roland Garros, 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, with Musetti forced to surrender after being ahead two sets to one.

Friday’s match will be played at 4:30 p.m. at the earliest: the start time will depend on the conclusion of the other semifinal, in which Jannik Sinner’s executioner Daniil Medvedev will face Carlos Alcaraz, holder of the trophy he won last year by beating Novak Djokovic himself in the final at the end of five hard-fought sets.