The quarterfinals of the Australian Open continue on Tuesday night for American viewers. One of the biggest matches of the tournament so far is the battle of two of the world’s best players, Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti. The match begins at 10:30. p.m. ET.
This is my best bet to target on DraftKings Sportsbook for the Djokovic vs. Musetti match.
Novak Djokovic vs. Lorenzo Musetti Preview
Novak Djokovic is on a quest to prove that he has one more Grand Slam run in him. His record 24 major titles include a record ten Australian Opens. From 2011 to 2023, Djokovic won nine of the 12 Australian Opens that he participated in. After winning three of the four Grand Slam titles in 2023, Djokovic has gone two years in a row without winning another major title.
Djokovic’s age is starting to catch up to him, but the ascension of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz has also played a major factor. He was incredibly consistent last year, making the semifinals in all four Grand Slams. However, he was never able to make it to the final in any of those four. Djokovic got injured in the semifinals in Australia against Alexander Zverev and had to retire, then lost to Sinner at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and lost to Alcaraz at the US Open. Djokovic will have to take one of those titans down to win another major title, but first, he must beat the youngster Lorenzo Musetti.
Lorenzo Musetti is a player on the rise, looking for a signature win to really jumpstart his career. He broke onto the scene in 2024 with a Wimbledon semifinal appearance, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. Musetti made it to another major semifinal at Roland Garros last year, where he fell to Carlos Alcaraz. He had another strong showing at the US Open last year, making it to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Jannik Sinner. So, Musetti has three great Grand Slam runs over the past two years, each ended by one of the game’s three best players. He is on another fantastic run to a major quarterfinal here in Australia, after defeating Taylor Fritz in the fourth round. However, Musetti will need to take that next step and beat Djokovic to get back to another major semifinal.
Novak Djokovic vs. Lorenzo Musetti Pick, Best Bet
My best bet for this match is for Novak Djokovic to cover the spread of -1.5 sets. The king of the Australian Open is on what could be his final run at trying to win an 11th title in Melbourne. Djokovic has been fantastic so far in this tournament, winning each of his first three matches in straight sets. However, the biggest boost of all is that Djokovic’s fourth-round opponent, Jakub Mensik, had to retire due to injury. That gave Djokovic a free pass to the quarterfinals, without having to expend any energy. In this match, fitness is Lorenzo Musetti’s clear advantage. The 23-year-old would love to make the 38-year-old work as hard as possible. The longer this match goes on, Musetti gets more and more of an edge.
The lack of work that Djokovic has required to make it to this match is a big counterweight to Musetti’s fitness advantage. It is remarkable to make a major quarterfinal after playing only nine sets of tennis in the first four rounds. Djokovic has also not had to play since his third-round match on Saturday. He should be completely fresh and ready for this match, allowing him to not worry about fitness and use his experience and world-class skill set to advance to the semifinals. Musetti is a great player on the rise and could steal one set off Djokovic, but the master should defeat the youngster by at least two sets in this match.
