Novak Djokovic has not won a set of tennis since Saturday.
Nevertheless, he will face Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Friday.
Djokovic, who suffered a fourth-round walkover from Jakub Mensik, advanced in his quarter-final against Lorenzo Musetti when the Italian was forced to retire while leading two sets to love. It was 6-4, 6-3, 1-3 in Musetti’s favor when an apparent groin injury abruptly stopped proceedings.
The nightcap didn’t last long either, as Sinner wiped out Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Top five highlights on day 11:
“I don’t know what to say, except that I really feel sorry for him and that he was a much better player,” Djokovic said during his on-court interview. “I was on my way home tonight….Being in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, two sets to love and in complete control, it’s such a shame. I really wish him a speedy recovery. He should have been a winner today without a doubt.”
“I could never have imagined the feeling of leading two sets to zero against Novak and playing like that,” Musetti said. “Having such a lead in the match and being forced to retire is something that I obviously could never have imagined. It’s really painful.”
Both semi-final matches are on Friday. Sinner vs. Djokovic is preceded by Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev.
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