Novak Djokovic makes unusually candid admission after another strange Australian Open victory

Statistics will tell you Novak Djokovic is officially the greatest male tennis player of all time, thanks to his 24 Grand Slam titles, the most by any man. But if he goes on to win a 25th at this year’s Australian Open, even he admits he will have enjoyed an unusually generous slice of luck.

Djokovic’s strange path to the semifinals

Djokovic will face defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals in Melbourne after advancing past Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals. However, he did so more by fortune than force.

World No. 5 Musetti won the first two sets 6-4, 6-3 and looked to be in full control when disaster struck. The Italian suffered a groin injury early in the third set and was forced to retire, with medical treatment proving ineffective.

“I was on my way home”

After his “victory,” Djokovic admitted, both to reporters and on social media, that he felt beaten, despite there potentially being three sets still to play.

“He’s the winner tonight, I was on my way home. I feel for Lorenzo, hopefully he’ll be back,” the Serb said in an on-court interview. “I don’t know what to say except for I feel sorry for him. He was the far better player.”

Djokovic echoed those sentiments on X, posting a photo of the two players embracing after the match with the caption, “I was on my way home. Heal well my friend.”

Lightning strikes twice

It was the second significant stroke of luck in a matter of days for the 38-year-old. Djokovic reached the quarterfinals after his previous opponent, 16th seed Jakub Mensik, withdrew before their match because of injury.

Is Djokovic’s name already etched on the trophy, then? His record against Sinner, his next opponent, suggests maybe not. The Italian has won their last five meetings, including the semifinals at Wimbledon and Roland-Garros in 2025, as well as last year’s Australian Open.

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