Novak Djokovic has done very little wrong at this year’s Australian Open and now his bid to win a record-extending 11th title has received an expected boost.
The tennis great booked his place in the hard-court Grand Slam without having to lift a racket in the fourth round after his opponent, the 20-year-old, Jakub Mensik withdrew due to an abdominal injury.
“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,” the 16th-seeded Czech wrote.
“After a long discussions with my team and doctors we decided not to step on court tomorrow.
“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.”
Australian Open News
Mensik was certainly expected to give Djokovic his biggest challenge to date at the 2026 major as the last time they met the then 19-year-old stunned his idol 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4) on the hard courts of the Miami Open to win his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title.
Djokovic had won their only other encounter 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-4 at the Shanghai Masters in 2024.
Novak Djokovic Time Spent On Court
With the walkover, the 38-year-old will certainly be fresh for his last-eight match against either fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti or ninth seed Taylor Fritz as he will have a rest day while the two slug it out in the Melbourne heat on Monday.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner is also yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park as he beat Pedro Martinez, Francesco Maestrelli and Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets while Musetti has played one four-setter and one five-setter, and Fritz dropped two sets.
As for time spent on court so far, none of his three matches lasted more than three hours as he needed exactly two hours to beat Martinez, 2h15 to see off Maestrelli before van de Zandschulp tested him in 2h44.
And if that is not enough, his record against both Musetti and Fritz is impeccable as he leads his rivalry with the Italian 9-1 while he is 11-0 in the head-to-head with Fritz with the American winning only four sets in those 11 matches.
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