Novak Djokovic was on his way home. Two sets down to Lorenzo Musetti, the dream of a record 25th grand slam title at the Australian Open looked to be fading from sight.
He could have had no complaints, such was his difficultly in keeping the ball in the court as the timing of his shots abandoned him. The unforced error count stood at 31 and was rising. A troublesome blister on his right toe forced a medical timeout.
