Lorenzo Musetti confirms suspected tear after ‘painful’ mid-match retirement against Novak Djokovic

Lorenzo Musetti retired mid-match against Novak Djokovic after suffering an upper leg tear.

Novak Djokovic's 2026 Australian Open campaign almost came to an end on Wednesday. But Lady Luck had other plans as Lorenzo Musetti suffered an injury and had to withdraw after winning the first two sets. Speaking after his sudden retirement, a disappointed Musett revealed he had suffered an injury to his right leg.

"I felt it at the beginning of the second set. I felt there was something strange in my right leg. You know, 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 time-out, to stay three minutes, I sitted, and when I started to play again, I felt even more and was getting higher and higher the level of the pain. So not much to say about it.”

Pointing out that he suffered a tear, he said, "Well, to tape it, it was a little bit too high, so it was impossible to tape it. And, no, I mean, I feel personally that I know my body, and I feel personally that I'm kind of secure that this is a tear, unfortunately."

"I'm not doctor, but it's kind of on the - I don't know if it's the adductor or... I don't know. It's over there. But, of course, I will do all the exams when I will come back home and, of course I will update you guys.

"Honestly, I never imagined, you know, the feeling of leading two sets to zero against Novak and playing like that and have the lead of the match like that and be forced to retire is something that, of course, I will never imagine. Of course, it's really painful.

"Honestly, I played almost all the second set like that, but I could play, because especially with the serve, it was helping me a lot, and I was trying a little bit to push from the baseline, which I was feeling the ball pretty well today.

"So I was managing, you know, to try to hold there and to stay and try to, you know, don't really look at the pain. But then afterwards, as I said, the first question, when I sit down for three minutes and I kind of, not relax, but kind of stayed longer in the wait position, the pain immediately started to increase.

"Then afterwards, I was feeling also - especially when I was going with the forehand on the open stance, I was feeling that I could not, you know, come back to the middle and then started, you know, as you saw, I could not really play. So, you know, unfortunately, it was no chance and no way to tape it, to do something, you know, to continue to play."

The Italian suffered a similar injury in the French Open semifinal last year against Carlos Alcaraz. "It was the same leg, because it was the right one, but I don't feel it's at the same point. But it's tough to say now, because of course, it's going to be - I'm going to have to check for sure better and try to see and to clear out what it is. Also to try to think about a process of rehabilitation and, you know, recovery," he added.

Musetti outclassed Djokovic for two sets at the Rod Laver Arena, leading 6-4, 6-3. But then he sustained an upper leg injury. He was 3-1 down in the third set, and then quit after he was treated by his trainer.