Novak Djokovic confessed he believed his Australian Open campaign was finished before Lorenzo Musetti's injury-enforced retirement handed him an unlikely passage to the semi-finals.
The Serbian star was being comprehensively outplayed when the Italian withdrew from their quarter-final clash, having established a commanding two-set advantage at 6-4, 6-3.
"He was the far better player, I was on my way home," Djokovic admitted afterwards.
"He should have been the winner today, no doubt."
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The 38-year-old, seeded fourth, produced a below-par display littered with 32 unforced errors before fortune intervened to keep his title hopes alive.
Musetti appeared to suffer a leg muscle problem during the opening game of the third set, having dominated proceedings for two hours.
Despite the setback, he continued briefly before calling time on the contest at 3-1 down, approaching the net to shake hands with his visibly stunned opponent.
Novak Djokovic confessed he believed his Australian Open campaign was finished before Lorenzo Musetti's injury-enforced retirement handed him an unlikely passage to the semi-finals
|REUTERS
Djokovic, who himself was forced to withdraw from last year's semi-final at Melbourne Park through injury, expressed genuine sympathy for the 23-year-old.
"I don't know what to say except that I feel really sorry for him," he said.
"Being in the quarters of a slam, two sets to love up, in full control, so unfortunate. I wish him a speedy recovery."
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Novak Djokovic was let off the hook during his Australian Open match with Lorenzo Musetti
|REUTERS
The Serb revealed he would "double my prayers tonight of gratitude to the God" for the unexpected opportunity.
Djokovic's tactical approach disintegrated rapidly after a promising start to the match.
"The strategy worked well for the first couple of games, but then it changed. Completely," he explained.
"I had four winners in the first two games and no unforced errors. Then the rest of the match I had another four winners and probably 40 errors."
The veteran credited Musetti's varied game for disrupting his rhythm, describing how the Italian's unpredictable shot selection made every point a challenge.
"That's what Lorenzo does to you, he makes you play," Djokovic said. "When you think the point is finished, it's not."
Novak Djokovic is chasing a 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this winter
|REUTERS
He also received treatment during the match for a blister, though dismissed it as "nothing major."
Djokovic will face either defending champion Jannik Sinner or American Ben Shelton in the last four, though he acknowledged significant improvement would be required.
"I will watch the match between Sinner and Shelton," he said. "I will watch my match with my team and try to get some insight into both these guys' game."
However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion insisted his primary focus remained on his own performance levels.
"My main priority remains my game," Djokovic added.
"I played really well until today throughout the whole tournament. Today I am definitely not happy with my performance, but it's another day in the office and hopefully in another day's time I can be at my best because that's what's going to be needed."