Lorenzo Musetti was two sets up against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. He was cruising toward what would’ve been the biggest win of his career.
Then his body gave out.
The Italian had to retire from their quarterfinal match with a leg injury, walking away from a 6-4, 6-3 lead against the 10-time Australian Open champion. It’s the kind of heartbreak that’ll stick with you for years.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorenzo Musetti | 23 | 1,290 | 11 - 15 |
But that wasn’t even the worst part of his day.
Fans Turn on Musetti
After watching Musetti retire while leading, some tennis fans couldn’t help themselves. One fan took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast the 22-year-old’s decision.
"Musetti retires way too easily. He doesn’t fight. I may sound harsh but every player has some minor issues here and there, a Grand Slam quarter-final where you are 2-0 up is a situation where you should try to fight and get treatment. He gave up easily, many times he does this. He’s not a fighter."
Pretty harsh words for a guy who was clearly in pain.
This was supposed to be Musetti’s breakthrough moment. He’s reached major semifinals twice before – once at the French Open and once at Wimbledon. A third semifinal was right there for the taking.
The Injury Timeline
Musetti explained afterwards that he first felt something weird in his right leg at the start of the second set. But he kept playing because, well, he was dominating Djokovic.
"I felt it at the beginning of the second set. I felt there was something strange in my right leg. I continued to play because I was playing really, really well. But I was feeling that the pain was increasing and the problem wasn’t going away."
The pain just kept getting worse. After taking a medical timeout at the start of the third set, Musetti tried to continue but couldn’t. He retired when trailing 3-1 in that third set.
It’s pretty rare to see someone retire from a winning position like that. The last time something similar happened was at Wimbledon last year when Grigor Dimitrov had to quit while leading Jannik Sinner 2-0.
A Surprising Defender Steps Up
Holger Rune wasn’t even playing at this year’s Australian Open. The Danish player is still recovering from his own injury issues that have kept him sidelined.
But when Rune saw that critical post about Musetti, he jumped in to defend his fellow player.
"Look what happened to me when I pushed through a grade 1 tear in the leg… cost me longer time away from tennis than ever before. Yes we want to fight at any cost and with pain, but I perfectly understand Musetti chose to listen to his body."
Rune knows exactly what he’s talking about. His decision to play through injury last year backfired spectacularly, leading to the longest break from tennis of his career.
The Smart Play
What Musetti did took guts, just not the kind that fan was looking for.
Walking away from a potential semifinal against Djokovic? When you’re already two sets up? That’s brutal. But it’s also smart.
Both players were actually missing their coaches for this match. Musetti’s coach had to fly home for personal reasons, while Djokovic’s coach was sick. So Musetti was making this impossible decision without his usual support system.
The fact that Rune immediately came to Musetti’s defense says a lot about how the tennis locker room has changed. Players are looking out for each other more these days, especially when it comes to health and injury decisions.
Musetti will get another chance at a major breakthrough. But if he’d pushed through and made that injury worse? Who knows how long he would’ve been out.
Sometimes the hardest fight is knowing when to stop fighting.
