Novak Djokovic was on the verge of exiting the Australian Open when a stroke of good fortune came his way.
Trailing 4-6, 3-6 to Lorenzo Musetti, Djokovic’s dreams of winning a 25th Grand Slam title looked to be in tatters, with Musetti motoring towards the finish.
However, at 2-1 in the second set, Musetti requested a medical timeout. From that point onwards, the Italian was physically limited on the court and could be seen wincing at various moments.
At 4-1 in the third set, Musetti was forced to retire through injury, handing Djokovic a place in the Australian Open semi-finals.
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Djokovic, who admitted he was ‘extremely lucky,’ has now surpassed a significant record previously held by Roger Federer.
Novak Djokovic has won 103 Australian Open Men’s Singles matches
As per OptaAce, Novak Djokovic is now the player with the outright most wins in Men’s Singles at the Australian Open in the Open Era.
Djokovic now has 103 victories at the event, surpassing Roger Federer’s total of 102.
By winning 103 matches in Australia, Djokovic also usurped his own personal record at Wimbledon. At the Championships, Djokovic has won 102 matches.
However, the Serbian superstar does not hold the record for the most Grand Slam wins at a single event. Roger Federer won 105 matches at Wimbledon and Rafael Nadal won 112 matches at the French Open.
Djokovic will now face Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in the semi-finals, before a potential meeting against Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev in the final.
Djokovic’s luck continues
Novak Djokovic can count himself as extremely fortunate to have advanced to the Australian Open semi-finals.
Realistically, if Lorenzo Musetti had not become physically impaired, Djokovic’s chances of advancing to the last four would have been slim to none.
This latest lucky break follows on from Djokovic being almost disqualified in the third round after almost striking a ball kid with a ball.
Novak Djokovic is the tennis GOAT… Prove us wrong
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Jakub Mensik then withdrew from his fourth-round match against Djokovic, handing the Serbian star an automatic quarter-final berth.
It seems the stars are aligning for Djokovic. Will he be able to take advantage of his good fortune and capture a 25th major title?