An abdominal injury has forced rising Czech star Jakub Mensik to withdraw from Australian Open 2026, sending fourth-round opponent Novak Djokovic into the quarterfinals.
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 on Sunday night 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.”
Mensik had arrived in the second week of the Australian Open for the first time after a physical path that began with a five-set win over Pablo Carreno Busta.
He was also stretched to two tiebreak sets in the third round against American Ethan Quinn, sealing victory after two-and-a-half hours on Saturday night.
“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.”
Djokovic, meanwhile, advances to his 16th quarterfinal at the Australian Open, a tournament he has gone on to win a men’s record 10 times.
The 38-year-old will face the winner of Monday’s fourth-round match between top-10 players Lorenzo Musetti and Taylor Fritz.
Djokovic 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 – thanks to his victory over Botic van de Zandschulp.