Preview: Australian Open: Novak Djokovic vs. Lorenzo Musetti- prediction, form, head-to-head

Novak Djokovic can book a place in the Australian Open semi-finals for a fourth successive occasion with a victory over Lorenzo Musetti in his next match.

Over the weekend, the fourth-seeded Djokovic defeated Jakub Mensik in a walkover, with his upcoming opponent ousting Taylor Fritz 6-2 6-5 6-4 in the round of 16.

Match preview

It remains all systems go for Novak Djokovic as he continues to rewrite the Grand Slam record books in his quest for an 11th Aussie Open title.

He had already reached the century mark for victories in this event early on and now the Serbian is the first player to win 400 matches at a major tournament.

This upcoming encounter will mark his 16th appearance in the last eight of the Australian Open, surpassing Roger Federer for the most all-time.

In the third round, he needed just under two hours and 45 minutes to dispose of his Dutch opponent, Botic van de Zandschulp recording 12 aces in that span.

It has been over a decade since he was previously eliminated in the quarter-finals of this tournament when Stan Wawrinka beat him in a five-set thriller in 2014.

He committed just 23 errors en route to victory in the last 16, while his serve got up to 204 km per hour, and the Serbian won 77% of his first serves.

The round of 16 affair between Musetti and Fritz never looked in doubt, with the Italian in command from start to finish in a match, which lasted just over two hours.

As a result, he will feature in the quarter-finals of this competition for the first time, winning 84% of his first serves against his American counterpart.

Musetti is now one of only three men born after 2000 to reach the last eight of every Grand Slam alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

In two of his previous three appearances at this stage of a major tournament, Musetti has come out on top, with the last one being at the 2025 French Open, winning his quarter-final outing over Frances Tiafoe.

On Sunday, he hit 13 aces, while his serve travelled as fast as 213 km per hour during his two-hour and three-minute affair.

Overall, the Italian had 33 winners and converted four of his break-point opportunities, while winning 73% of his net points.

Tournament so far

Novak Djokovic:

First round: vs. Pedro Martinez 6-3 6-2 6-2

Second round: vs. Francesco Maestrelli 6-3 6-2 6-2

Third round: vs. Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Round of 16: vs. Jakub Mensik walkover

Lorenzo Musetti:

First round: vs. Raphael Collignon 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 3-2 walkover

Second round: vs. Lorenzo Sonego 6-3 6-3 6-4

Third round: vs. Tomas Machac 5-7 6-4 6-2 5-7 6-2

Round of 16: vs. Taylor Fritz 6-2 7-5 6-4

Head To Head

French Open (2021) - Round of 16: Djokovic wins 6-7 6-7 6-1 6-0 4-0 retired

Dubai Open (2022) - Round of 32: Djokovic wins 6-3 6-3

ATP Masters Paris (2022) - Round of 16: Djokovic wins 6-0 6-3

ATP Masters Monte-Carlo (2023) - Round of 16: Musetti wins 5-6 7-5 6-4

ATP Masters Monte-Carlo (2024) - Round of 16: Djokovic wins 7-5 6-3

French Open (2024) - Round of 32: Djokovic wins 7-5 6-7 2-6 6-3 6-0

Wimbledon (2024) - Semi-Finals: Djokovic wins 6-4 7-6 6-4

Olympics (2024) - Semi-Finals: Djokovic wins 6-4 6-2

ATP Masters Miami (2025) - Round of 16: Djokovic wins 6-2 6-2

Athens Open (2025) - Final: Djokovic wins 4-6 6-3 7-5

Nearly five years ago, at Rolland Garros when these two first met, Djokovic prevailed after the first two sets went to a tiebreaker, hitting 11 aces to advance.

The next time they faced off on clay was at the 2023 ATP Monte-Carlo Open, when Musetti earned his only singles win versus Djokovic, converting eight of his break points and tallying 28 winners.

In 2024, they met at the French Open again, with the Serbian winning 69% of his first serves on that occasion and converting nine break points.

At Wimbledon later that year, Djokovic got the better of him again, winning 75% of his first serves while saving 50% of his break points.

The Olympics later that summer saw the Serbian overpower Musetti with his groundstrokes, winning in straight sets before capturing the gold medal.

Their last hard-court meeting came in Athens in 2025 as Djokovic conceded 10 aces to the Italian but won 70% of his first serves as he lifted another trophy.

We say: Djokovic to win in four sets

You have to be near-perfect to beat Djokovic on this surface in Australia, especially at this juncture of the tournament, and even then, it may not be enough.