Lorenzo Musetti was definitely impressive. He defeated Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the fourth round of the Australian Open, and the match wasn't especially close. The Italian looks to be shaping into the form that could get him within sniffing distance of a Grand Slam title.
His next match won't be easy, however. He will play 10-time Aussie Open champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. The Serb has made easy work of all the opponents he has played in 2026 so far, and his last match was a walkover against Jakub Mensik. Mensik came down with an abdominal injury that wouldn't allow him to keep going in Melbourne.
This means that Djokovic will have a little extra rest before playing Musetti. At 38 years old, maybe he needs a bit more than younger players. Musetti is just 23 years old.
Lorenzo Musetti is ready to take on Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open
The two players have met 10 times, and the Italian has just one victory against the 24-time Grand Slam winner. That came on the clay courts of the Monte Carlo Masters in 2023. Musetti might have the advantage on that surface, but the hard courts of the Australian Open might be different. Djokovic, even at his relatively advanced age, is brutally efficient on hard surfaces.
Not that Lorenzo Musetti feels as if he will be at a disadvantage. The Italian said as much in his post-match press conference after defeating Fritz. Not only does Musetti think he can, and maybe should, beat Djokovic, but he has a bit of extra motivation in trying to do so: He wants revenge.
"We know each other pretty well because we played a lot," Musetti said. "Just won once against him. Hopefully, I’ll take my revenge, because last time in Athens we were really, really close. I feel like I have another chance now...I feel ready to try to push him to his maximum."
First, the player does need to have belief in himself, no matter who he faces. He might be 1-9 all-time against Novak Djokovic, but Musetti cannot enter the match thinking he is already defeated. No player should feel that way, no matter how one-sided a rivalry might be.
Secondly, the Italian did give Djokovic his praise as well. Musetti understands how elite the Serb has been throughout his career, with his number of Grand Slam titles and combined weeks at No. 1 unmatched by any other. Musetti is still trying to win his first major, and if he gets his first at the Australian Open, he will have to go through Djokovic to get there.