Abdominal injury fells Jakub Mensik ahead of Novak Djokovic rematch at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia—Jakub Mensik joins Naomi Osaka on a growing list of players suffering abdominal injuries at the 2026 Australian Open, the No. 16 seed withdrawing from his scheduled fourth-round clash with Novak Djokovic Sunday night.

“This is a tough one to write,” Mensik wrote in a statement posted to social media. “After 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. 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.”

Mensik was into the second week of the Australian Open for the first time in his career, and the 20-year-old Czech was set to play Djokovic for the first time since defeating the 24-time Grand Slam champion to win the Miami Open last spring.

“I'm super sad not to step on the court and to compete against my idol and the G.O.A.T,” he said in a statement provided to the tournament.

“Of course, I will do my best to come back again and to come back stronger.”

Djokovic receives a walkover into his 16th career quarterfinal in Melbourne—his first coming all the way back in 2008, when he first won the title—and the 10-time champion will await the winner of the fourth-round match between No. 5 seed Lorenzo Musetti and No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz.