Novak Djokovic has been handed a walkover through to the Australian Open quarter-finals after his opponent Jakub Mensik pulled out injured.
The pair had been due to clash in the night session on Rod Laver Arena on Monday, but Mensik revealed an abdominal problem will prevent him from taking to the court.
Czech 16th seed Mensik came through a tight third-round clash against American Ethan Quinn, with a 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) win on Saturday, but the 20-year-old said he had been carrying an injury that prevented him from facing his mentor Djokovic.
The 20-year-old Czech said on Instagram: “This is a tough one to write. After doing everything we could to keep going, I have to withdraw from the Australian Open due to an abdominal muscle injury that has progressed over the last matches.
“After a long discussion with my team and doctors, we decided not to step on court tomorrow.”
It is a cruel blow for Mensik, who is one of the most promising young players in the men’s game and had reached the last 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time.
He continued: “Even though I’m disappointed, making the fourth round here for the first time is something I will carry with me for a long time. I felt so much energy from the fans and the atmosphere in Melbourne was truly special.”
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Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Australian Open before her scheduled third-round match against Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis because of injury
The news, which follows Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal due to the same injury, could be a major boost to Djokovic’s hopes of winning a record 25th major title.
The 38-year-old has run out of steam physically in recent major tournaments after reaching the latter stages but is yet to drop a set here and now has an extra day off before a quarter-final meeting with either Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz.
Djokovic revealed after beating Botic van de Zandschulp on Saturday that he had not been practising on days off in an effort to conserve as much energy as possible.
He said: “I think I was moving great. There’s always something that is happening with the body, but I think generally I feel as good as I have felt in a while.
“I cannot predict the future, I don’t know how things are going to unfold from this day onwards, but I’m doing everything I can.”
‘If you’ve got that tear, it’s really sad for him’
Jakub Mensik had been on a seven match winning run – his biggest streak since winning Miami in March 2025!
Jamie Murray, speaking on TNT Sports:
“It’s very early in the season to have a very serious abdominal injury, which can be notoriously difficult to get through and it can be a recurring injury. It’s not worth it for him, especially at this stage of the season.”
Tim Henman said: “It’s one of those injuries you can’t sort of hide. You can’t protect. You might be able to take anti-inflammatories but everything goes through your core as well.
“When you’re serving, you’re reaching up, you’re really stretching it. Your groundstrokes, you’re rotating, and the core is connecting. If you’ve got that tear, it’s really sad for him.
“He’s a properly good player and he will be back in a Grand Slam quarter-final.”
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