Novak Djokovic has a long way to go before he wins his 25th Grand Slam title. However, he has gotten an unexpected break as he has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open without having to hit a single shot in his fourth-round match.
16 – Novak Djokovic will appear in his 16th Men's Singles quarterfinal at the Australian Open, one more than Roger Federer (15) for the most during the Open Era. Record. #AusOpen | @AustralianOpen @atptour pic.twitter.com/kRfHczXwEJ
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 25, 2026
Djokovic received a walkover because Jakub Mensik, the 16th seed in the tournament, has withdrawn from the competition. As a result of Mensik's decision, Djokovic has reached the quarterfinals for the 16th time in his career. That's one more time than his great rival Roger Federer was able to advance to that round during his brilliant career.
Mensik based his decision to pull out of the tournament based on limitations caused by a stomach muscle injury.
“This is a tough one to write,” Mensik posted on X. “After long conversations with my team and doctors and after doing everything we could to keep going, I have to unfortunately withdraw from the Australian Open due to an abdominal injury that has progressed over the last matches. Even though I’m disappointed, making the 4th round here for the first time is something I will carry with me for a long time.”
The match was scheduled for Monday night at the Rod Laver Arena, but Mensik pulled out 24 hours prior to the match.
The 4th-seeded Djokovic will be able to get an extra 48 hours away from the court before he plays his quarterfinal match against the winner of the match between American Taylor Fritz and Italy's Lorenzo Musetti.
The 38-year-old Djokovic is still in contention to win his 11th Australian Open. If he is successful, he will add to his record total of Grand Slam championships.
