Melbourne, Jan 25 (IANS) The 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic received a walkover in the fourth round of the Australian Open after an abdominal injury forced rising Czech star Jakub Mensik to withdraw on Sunday.

Mensik withdrawal means Djokovic advanced to his 16th quarterfinal at the Australian Open, a tournament he has gone on to win a men’s record 10 times.

Their highly anticipated fourth-round clash was a rematch of their 2025 Miami Open final, which Mensik won to hoist his first Masters 1000 trophy.

“This is a tough one to write,” Mensik wrote in a post to Instagram. “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.”

“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,” said Mensik, who rises to 16th in the ATP Live Rankings.

“I felt so much energy from the fans and the atmosphere in Melbourne was truly special. Thank you to my team for being with me every step, and to everyone sending messages and cheering – it means more than you know. Now it’s time to recover properly,” the post read.

Djokovic, who is pursuing his record 25th major trophy, will face the winner of Monday’s fourth-round match between Lorenzo Musetti and Taylor Fritz.

The 38-year-old Serb is yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park in 2026 and notched his 102nd match win at the tournament, equalling Roger Federer for the most among men after his victory over Botic van de Zandschulp.

–IANS

bc/