In their latest high-profile meeting at the 2026 Australian Open, Lorenzo Musetti vs Novak Djokovic ended in abrupt and pretty unfortunate fashion: Musetti had to retire with an upper right leg injury while leading the match.

What actually happened in Musetti vs Djokovic?

  • The match was a quarterfinal at the Australian Open 2026 on Rod Laver Arena.
  • Musetti came out playing brilliantly and took a two-set lead over Djokovic, 6–4, 6–3.
  • Early in the third set, at 1–2 on serve, Musetti appeared to injure his upper right leg (suspected adductor/right leg issue) and called for the physio.
  • He tried to continue but the pain worsened; at 1–3 in the third set he retired from the match, ending his Australian Open run.
  • The official record shows Musetti leading 6–4, 6–3, 1–3 (retired), with Djokovic advancing to the semifinals by retirement despite being outplayed for much of the contest.

Mini timeline

  1. Musetti dominates the first two sets with high-level, all-court tennis.
  1. A right-leg problem that started bothering him around the second set becomes more serious early in the third.
  1. Medical timeout and treatment at the start of the third set.
  1. After a few more games, Musetti cannot continue and retires while still ahead overall.

What did Djokovic and Musetti say about it?

  • Djokovic admitted in his on-court and later interviews that he felt he was “on [his] way home” and that Musetti had been the better player before the injury turned things around.
  • He also showed a subdued, sympathetic tone, calling it “awful” for Musetti to be playing so well only for his body to give out, and emphasized that this is the harsh side of the sport.
  • Musetti said he had sensed something wrong in his right leg but kept playing because he was performing so well; the pain escalated instead of easing, forcing the decision to stop.

A bit of wider context

  • This was another Grand Slam meeting where physical issues cut Musetti’s effort short: he had previously retired against Djokovic at Roland-Garros 2021 after leading by two sets, and later also retired in a Roland-Garros semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz due to leg problems.
  • Djokovic, at 38 and seeded fourth in Melbourne, moved into yet another Australian Open semifinal, but even he framed it as a “lucky break” given how close he felt to defeat before the injury.
  • On forums, many fans highlighted Djokovic’s sportsmanship and humility in how he spoke about Musetti, while also expressing a lot of sympathy for Musetti’s recurring injuries in big moments.

Quick HTML table recap

html

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Event</th>
    <th>Detail</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Tournament</td>
    <td>Australian Open 2026, Quarterfinal, Rod Laver Arena [web:3][web:5]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Score when match ended</td>
    <td>Musetti led 6–4, 6–3, 1–3 (retired) [web:1][web:5]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Reason for end</td>
    <td>Musetti retired with upper right leg injury (suspected adductor/right leg issue) [web:3][web:5]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Djokovic’s reaction</td>
    <td>Said he was “on [his] way home,” called Musetti the better player, and described the outcome as a harsh, lucky break [web:3][web:4]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Musetti’s reaction</td>
    <td>Felt something wrong in right leg, tried to continue but pain worsened; devastated to retire while playing so well [web:3][web:5]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Broader context</td>
    <td>Another Grand Slam retirement for Musetti after leading against Djokovic, echoing Roland-Garros 2021; injuries again in big moments [web:3][web:8]</td>
  </tr>
</table>

TL;DR: Musetti was outplaying Djokovic and led by two sets, but a right- leg injury forced him to retire at 1–3 in the third, handing Djokovic a bittersweet passage to the Australian Open semifinals.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.