Lorenzo Musetti, his record with Novak Djokovic is scary
Lorenzo Musetti has qualified for the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2026, where he will face Novak Djokovic. The Azzurro, the fifth seed on the scoreboard, will play for a spot in the semifinals with the’former world No. 1 who benefited from Jakub Mensik’s withdrawal, passing the round without even taking the court. The one in Melbourne will be the’eleventh direct confrontation between the two on the major circuit, and the balance clearly hangs on Djokovic’s side.
The Serb is in fact ahead 9-1 in the previous and has also won eleven of the last twelve sets played against the Carrara. Musetti’s only victory came in the round of 16 of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 2023, when he managed to prevail in a comeback with a score of 4-6 7-5 6-4. During the past season, however, Djokovic made his experience count on both occasions: first with a clear double 6-2 win in the round of 16 in Miami, then in the final in Athens, where he prevailed by coming back to win 4-6 6-3 7-5.
Musetti after beating Taylor Fritz spoke at a press conference: “I have my own routine that also helps me feel better physically and mentally. It showed how the head makes a difference, even when maybe the tiredness in the body is there. The fact that I have done all the right things gives me some confidence on the physical level as well, so hopefully I can make a difference with Novak Djokovic as well. It will also depend on when we play, because I think the conditions at night we are even slower than during the day”.
“Definitely in the’last match with Djokovic I lacked a little bit of coolness, a little bit of lucidity, a little bit of competitive nastiness in really wanting to close out the match, in the sense that anyway I had my chances”, also recalled the number 2 d’Italia who dreams of the third step of the overall ranking behind Alcaraz and Sinner.
“I think this is the step I need to take to aspire to win such a match against a champion like Djokovic”, finally concluded Musetti who will return to the court on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at a time yet to be determined. In case of success, the semifinal could be just against Jannik Sinner.
