Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti's coaches to be absent from Australian Open match
NewsTuesday, 27 January 2026 at 21:32
Fans will witness a highly unusual situation when Novak Djokovic faces Lorenzo Musetti for a place in the 2026 Australian Open semifinal.
A blockbuster Wednesday schedule in Melbourne includes Djokovic vs Musetti and Jannik Sinner in the remaining men's quarterfinals. The winners of those matches will face each other in the semifinals.
The magnitude of an Australian Open quarterfinal makes the role of coaches even more important. Against great players, having the right game plan and making tactical adjustments can be the difference between winning and losing.
Unfortunately for Djokovic and Musetti, they will not have that benefit when they meet at the season's opening Grand Slam. Their respective coaches are unavailable for the match for different reasons.
SportKlub reports that Djokovic's coach, Boris Bosnjakovic, has been missing since his third-round encounter with Botic van de Zandschulp because of a virus. That absence also extended to practice, where the Serbian's agent, Carlos Gomez, took his place.
Currently, there is no timeline for Bosnjakovic's return. If Djokovic overcomes Musetti, the coach would have two days to recover before his match against Sinner or Shelton, but the former ATP world No. 1 will undoubtedly be cautious in case he contracts the virus from him.
Musetti will be managing an even larger gap in his team due to two missing coaches. His long-time coach, Simone Tartarini, returned home because of the recent sad passing of his mother.
In addition, the Italian's fitness coach, Damiano Fiorucci, will not be at the match for personal reasons. Musetti spoke about losing them at the Australian Open after beating Taylor Fritz in the fourth round.
"It's not easy to wake up every day, we had bad luck off the field. For personal reasons they had to return. But in their hearts they are here, it's hard for me to talk about it. When real life knocks on the door, it can really surprise you and then you always understand life better."
Djokovic's lengthy history of fighting through adversity and his self-sufficiency on court might mean the absence hits Musetti harder, but fans will see if that is the case when they meet on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic came close to being defaulted from the 2026 Australian Open
Novak Djokovic is widely considered the greatest player in tennis history, and he has done far more good than harm to the sport. However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion almost relived a painful moment from his career at the 2026 Australian Open.
Despite being a set and a break up against Botic van de Zandschulp in the third round, Djokovic powerfully struck a ball in frustration after losing a point. It was inches away from hitting an unsuspecting ball kid.
Djokovic was defaulted at the 2020 US Open after hitting a line judge. He struck the ball more softly in that incident than at the Australian Open, meaning he would have attracted more outrage in Melbourne and been given a default had the ball made contact with the kid.
Coco Gauff made an effort to hold her rage until she was off the court after losing her Australian Open quarterfinal to Elina Svitolina. The 21-year-old smashed a racket after the comprehensive 1-6, 2-6 defeat.
Popular News
Just In
Loading