Djokovic fires up ahead of Sinner blockbuster; Musetti retires hurt a set from glory

Everything changed for Jannik Sinner two years ago when he ended Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open reign in a coming-of-age moment that led to his maiden grand slam title.

And it’s about to happen all over again, only this time with Djokovic the world No.4 with a noticeable chip on his shoulder.

The tennis titans – separated by 14 years – will clash at Melbourne Park on Friday night, for the fifth time in a major semi-final, after Sinner extended his domination of Ben Shelton with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory that was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests.

Shelton has now lost nine straight matches, and 22 sets in a row, to the Italian world No.2, who is bidding to become the first man to win a hat-trick of Australian Open titles since Djokovic from 2019-21.

Sinner was the world No.4 and had lost the decider of the ATP Tour finals two months earlier to Djokovic leading into their 2024 semi-final in Melbourne, but he blitzed the 10-time champion, 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3.

It was the first match in Djokovic’s grand slam career that he failed to earn a single break point.

Sinner rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat Daniil Medvedev in the final nights later, claiming the first of his four grand slam titles and serving as a changing of the guard as he and Carlos Alcaraz became the dominant forces on tour.

“When you make the step ahead into a grand slam final, and win against Novak, it does change a bit,” Sinner said.

“These are the moments [that] you practise for. You wake up in the morning and look forward to playing, hopefully, a good match. If you want to win, you have to play at your best, so I’m looking forward to it.

“We are still lucky to have Novak here playing incredible tennis at his age. It’s going to be a great battle, but it’s going to be, of course, very difficult.”

Sinner leads his head-to-head with Djokovic 6-4, but was unbeaten in their four contests across the past two years, starting with that Australian Open beat-down.

He retains ultimate respect for the 24-time grand slam-winning legend, who turns 39 in May and was one of his inspirations growing up.

Djokovic will play in his fifth major semi-final on the trot, even if this one relied on some fortune when Lorenzo Musetti retired with an adductor injury while leading Djokovic by two sets. However, he has not won a major title since the 2023 US Open.

“He is, I think, the most professional athlete we have here in the locker room,” Sinner said of Djokovic.

“I also try to be as professional as possible. Obviously, he has a huge package of experience. You see him on the court, [and] he knows how to handle every situation the best possible way.

“Me, as a 24-year-old, I’m lucky to have someone like him in front of my eyes, and I can hopefully learn something. I feel like every day, every time he plays, I can learn something about him, about Carlos, about all the other great players.”

Djokovic is in the twilight of an unparalleled career, yet is still as good a player on tour as anyone not named Alcaraz or Sinner.

The Serb split his four matches with Alcaraz, including winning the Paris Olympic gold medal match, but has had more trouble with Sinner, whose similar game style caused the likes of super coach Patrick Mouratoglou to label him “Novak Djokovic 2.0”.

Alcaraz’s new service motion also has uncanny similarities to Djokovic’s delivery.

But Djokovic took offence at a question in his post-match media conference after escaping the Musetti match that attempted to liken him “chasing” Alcaraz and Sinner to the old days when he was trying to pierce the Federer-Nadal duopoly, which he eventually did.

“I find it a little bit disrespectful that you miss what happened in between,” Djokovic said.

“There’s probably about a 15-year period where I was dominating the grand slams, so I think it’s important to put that in perspective. I don’t feel like I’m chasing, to be honest.

“Roger and Rafa will always be my greatest rivals. I have tremendous respect for what Jannik and Carlos are doing… are they better right now than me and all the other guys? Yes, they are. The quality and level are amazing. It’s great, it’s phenomenal.

“But does that mean that I walk out with a white flag? No. I’m going to fight until the last shot, until the last point, and do my very best to challenge them.”

‘He should have been the winner today’: Djokovic reaches semis

Djokovic’s hopes of an 11th Australian Open title are still alive after he reached the semi-finals in stunning scenes earlier on Wednesday when Musetti retired injured while leading two sets to love.

The champion Serb knew he got a massive dose of luck in his pursuit of the title he first won in 2008.

“I was on my way home tonight,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview after the match’s stunning conclusion.

“I don’t know what to say except that I feel really sorry for him [Musetti].

“It’s so unfortunate. I really wish him a speedy recovery. He was the far better player.

“He should have been the winner today, I have no doubt.”

Djokovic, 38, also benefited from a walkover in the fourth round but suddenly finds himself in the final four and a showdown against the winner of Jannik Sinner’s clash with Ben Shelton, with a place in another Australian Open final on the line.

Musetti, the world No.5, took a medical timeout in front of a shocked Rod Laver Arena crowd early in the third set. He received a massage while trailing 1-3 in the set and pulled out of the match soon after, despite leading 6-4, 6-3, 1-3.

The 23-year-old Italian only made it through four more points before, looking forlorn, he gingerly walked to the net to shake hands with Djokovic and exit the Open.

Djokovic said he only became aware that Musetti was hampered in what became the final set of the match.

“Honestly, the first time I saw him struggling a bit was in the third game of the third set when I broke his serve,” said Djokovic.

“I didn’t feel that in the second set it was affecting his game much.”

The Serbian had also battled with a blister on his right foot, but he said it didn’t overly affect his performance.

“You always have some minor issues with your body, at least for me every single day, [but none stopping me] be able to play and move around the way I want to,” Djokovic said.

Straight after his stroke of luck, in his on-court interview, Djokovic said: “I’m going to double my prayers tonight for sure, [and show] gratitude to God for giving me this opportunity once again.

“I’m going to do my best in a couple of days to use it.

“Today I’m definitely not happy with my performance but ... in a couple of days hopefully I can come out and be at my best because that’s what is needed.”

The Serb returned to action after an extended break after fourth-round opponent Jakub Mensik’s walkover on Sunday, and his freshness showed at different stages of the match.

“I had four winners in the first two games and no unforced errors, and then the rest of the match I had another four winners and probably 40 errors. That’s what Lorenzo does to you, [he] makes you play when you think the point is finished,” Djokovic said.

“When you attack him, you don’t know what to expect – whether it’s going to be a passing shot, a cross-court or a short slice, or if he’s going to go full flat in your body or hit a looping ball to my weakest shot, which is overhead.

“I tried my best ... I wasn’t feeling the ball today the first couple of sets, but that’s also due to his quality and his variety in the game. I’m extremely lucky to get through this one.”

Before Wednesday’s final-eight showdown, Djokovic had spent just six hours and 59 minutes on court. In contrast, Musetti spent more than 12 hours on court. Musetti’s first-round opponent, Raphael Collignon, retired in the fourth set of their clash. The Italian then needed five sets to beat Tomas Machac in the third round, and he saw off an injury-hit Taylor Fritz in the fourth round.

With the quarter-final result on centre court – in two hours and eight minutes – Djokovic recorded his 103rd Australian Open singles win, eclipsing Roger Federer’s record.

A bitterly disappointed Musetti walked gingerly into his media conference before explaining that he first felt the injury the after the first set, and it got progressively worse.

“I felt there was something strange in my right leg. I continued to play, because I was playing really, really, really well, but I was feeling that the pain was increasing, and the problem was not getting away,” he said.

“At the end, when I took the medical timeout ... I [sat down] and when I started to play again, I felt [it] even more and [it] was getting higher and higher, the level of the pain.”

The two-time major semi-finalist said it was likely a muscle tear, high on his leg. Asked to pinpoint the exact spot, Musetti said: “I’m not [a] doctor, but it’s kind of on the... I don’t know if it’s the adductor, or... I don’t know.”

Wednesday’s dramatic events mark just the latest chapter in Djokovic’s remarkable relationship with Melbourne and the Australian Open. He won his first major on Rod Laver Arena 18 years ago and, since 2011, the 24-time major winner has had an extraordinary success rate.

Outside of a shock second-round loss to Denis Istomin in 2017, a fourth-round exit to South Korea’s Chung Hyeon the following year, and an epic quarter-final loss to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka in 2014, Djokovic has reached the semi-finals or better every year at Melbourne Park since.

While he was deported from Australia four years ago on tournament eve – dramatically preventing him from a shot at another Australian Open title – Djokovic’s record at the first major of the year has drawn similarities to that of Rafael Nadal’s 14 wins at Roland-Garros.

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• Tennis Australia defends behind-the-scenes cameras after Swiatek backs Gauff’s stance

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