WIMBLEDON, England — Lorenzo Musetti threw his head back and spread his arms wide to celebrate reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon then covered his face with both hands.
His 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Taylor Fritz on Wednesday was a big deal, to be sure. After all, the 25th-seeded Musetti, a 22-year-old from Italy, never had made it past the third round at the All England Club — or past the fourth round at any major tournament — until this fortnight.
Now, though, comes a far tougher test: taking on Novak Djokovic.
“He probably knows, better than me, the surface and the stadium, for sure,” Musetti said with a chuckle, aware he will be making his Centre Court debut Friday. “Jokes apart, he’s a legend everywhere, but especially here in Wimbledon.”
It will be Djokovic’s record-tying 13th semifinal at Wimbledon alone, equaling Roger Federer, and 49th Slam semifinal overall, extending a mark he already held. As Musetti pursues his first major championship, Djokovic seeks a 25th, including what would be his eighth at the All England Club.
Djokovic’s smooth trip through this year’s bracket was made even easier when the man he was supposed to play in the quarterfinals Wednesday, Alex de Minaur, pulled out with a hip injury hours before their match was scheduled to begin.
Instead of going up against No. 9 de Minaur on Wednesday, Djokovic will get three full days off before meeting Musetti on Friday. The other men’s semifinal will be defending champion Carlos Alcaraz against Daniil Medvedev; they advanced Tuesday.
Musetti was forced to work for his spot in the final four: His 3½-hour victory over the 13th-seeded Fritz was the 37th five-setter at Wimbledon this year, the most at any Grand Slam tournament.
He acknowledged he didn’t get off to an ideal start but added, “I played my best tennis at the end. I kept the best for the end.”
Playing at a sun-swathed No. 1 Court against Fritz, an American who…
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