Lorenzo Musetti told ‘better be out for eight weeks’ after Novak Djokovic retirement

Sam Cooper 29 Jan 2026 7:00 PM

Lorenzo Musetti retired during the third set against Novak Djokovic.

Tennis coach Brad Gilbert suggested Lorenzo Musetti gave up too easily after withdrawing against Novak Djokovic.

Musetti was leading by two sets when he started struggling with his leg and after going 3-0 down in the third, he called for a medical timeout to receive treatment to his groin.

The 23-year-old did attempt to continue but ultimately retired, handing Djokovic what seemed an unlikely path to the semi-final.

After the match Musetti confirmed the injury was in his right leg and suggested that the pain was only increasing.

“I felt there was something strange in my right leg,” he said.

“You know, 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, to stay three minutes, I sat, and when I started to play again, I felt even more (pain) and was getting higher and higher the level of the pain.”

That explanation though has not sat well with coach Brad Gilbert who hinted that Musetti threw in the towel too quickly.

“You feel like, why not wait for the pain killer tablets to kick in? At least play out the rest of the third set,” he said in a video posted on his X account.

“I know that Grigor [Dimitrov] did it at Wimbledon last year up two sets, but basically missed the rest of the year. You feel like, man, Musetti better be out 6-8 weeks.

“I know he seems a bit gun shy about injuries, but maybe you have to play out that third set.”

For Djokovic, it was an unlikely gift handed to him but his former coach Boris Becker suggested the Serbian would have been embarrassed more than relieved at the nature of his progression to the semi-final.

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Speaking to Eurosport, Becker weighed in on Musetti’s unfortunate retirement and gave insight into Djokovic’s mindset.

“That’s disappointing for Musetti, he played such a great tournament, he was clearly the better player,” said the six-time Grand Slam champion.

“It’s a fair gesture for him [Djokovic] to say that [Musetti was the better player]. He’s always perceived as being dogged. But Novak is a true sportsman and saw that he was lucky – and he made that very clear.

“Novak still has consistency. The fact that he’s back in the semi-finals speaks for itself. He’s a sportsman, he doesn’t want to reach the semi-finals by [his opponent] retiring – and he didn’t have to play in the previous round either.

“I know him quite well, it’s embarrassing for him because that’s not how he wants to win.”