"Was on my way home": Djokovic gets lucky break as opponent retires

Novak Djokovic has progressed to the semi-finals after opponent Lorenzo Musetti sensationally retired from the Australian Open.

In their quarter-final match between the two, the Italian was up two sets to love (6-4, 6-3, 1-3) in the space of two hours and eight minutes out on Rod Laver Arena, before Musetti pulled out with what appears to be a reoccurring groin injury.

Throughout the match, the Serbian made plenty of uncharacteristic errors, having hit 32 of them (18 of those came in the first set).

After losing the second set, the 10-time AO champion required a medical timeout on his right foot, which hinted at signs that he may not be fully fit.

However, in a sensational turn of events, Musetti pulled out despite his significant lead.

This would leave Djokovic to admit that he should have lost the match considering the difference between the two out on court.

“I don’t know what to say, except that I feel really sorry for him," the 24-time Grand Slam champion said.

"He was a far better player. I was on my way home tonight.

“These kind of things happen in sport (and) it happened to me a few times."

Later, Musetti would explain that he started to feel the pain in his right leg during the start of the second set.

"I felt it at the beginning of the second set. I felt there was something strange in my right leg," he noted in his press conference.

"I continued to play, because I was playing really, really, really well, but I was feeling that the pain was increasing, and the problem was not getting away.

"At the end, when I took the medical time-out (during the third set), to stay three minutes, I sat.

"And when I started to play again, I felt even more (in pain) and (it) was getting higher and higher."

He later told the media that he felt that it was likely a muscle tear.

"I'm kind of secure (in the knowledge) that this is a tear, unfortunately," Musetti lamented.

Djokovic will now play either Italian Jannik Sinner or American Ben Shelton in the semi-final.

That will be played on Friday at Rod Laver Arena, with SEN having live coverage of the Australian Open.