Novak Djokovic did not secure any sets in his fourth-round match at the 2026 Australian Open. He also failed to win a single set in the quarterfinal stage of the 2026 Australian Open.
Despite this, he is now poised to compete in his thirteenth Australian Open semifinal.
The player, who has claimed the Australian Open title ten times, overcame a two-set disadvantage during Wednesday’s quarterfinal when his adversary, Lorenzo Musetti, ranked as the No. 5 seed in the competition, had to withdraw due to an injury in the third set, at which point Musetti held a lead of 6-4, 6-3, 1-3.
This proved to be a difficult moment for the Italian player, aged 23, who had a historical match record of one win to nine losses against Djokovic prior to this encounter.
Following the match, Djokovic commended Musetti, stating that his opponent had earned the victory during their post-game discussion:
“My sentiments are entirely with him; I am deeply sorry for his predicament. He was unequivocally the superior player, and I genuinely believed my tournament journey was concluding this evening. Such occurrences, regrettably, are part of competitive sports. I’ve experienced similar situations myself, reaching the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam with a two-set lead and feeling completely dominant. It’s truly regrettable. I extend my best wishes for his swift recuperation; he was, beyond any doubt, the rightful victor today.”
Good luck has recently favored Djokovic, who progressed beyond the fourth round without playing due to a walkover when the 16th seed, Jakub Menšík, withdrew from the competition with an abdominal injury. Nevertheless, he is approaching the identical phase of the competition from which he was eliminated in the preceding two years, having withdrawn in 2025 during a match against Alexander Zverev and being defeated by Jannik Sinner in 2024.
Assuming no unexpected upset occurs in another quarterfinal match, Djokovic is expected to face Sinner once more. The athlete who has won the Australian Open title twice consecutively is scheduled to compete against the 8th seed, Ben Shelton, later on Wednesday.
Djokovic is pursuing a historic 25th Grand Slam men’s singles championship, yet the recent dominance demonstrated by Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz has resulted in his current winless streak stretching into its third year. Djokovic has not secured a Grand Slam victory since the US Open in 2023, and should he fail to triumph in this particular tournament, it will officially mark his lengthiest period without a major title since he claimed his inaugural one in 2008.
