MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic superior to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with out enjoying a fourth spherical after his scheduled opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew citing an belly damage.
Mensik, seeded sixteenth, defeated American Ethan Quinn on Saturday night time at Melbourne Park to arrange a showdown with 24-time main champion Djokovic. The 2 have been scheduled to face one another on Monday night time at Rod Laver Enviornment, however 24 hours earlier than the struggle, Mensik introduced on social media that he was not wholesome sufficient to compete.
“That is exhausting to write down,” Mensik shared on Instagram. “After doing every little thing I may to proceed shifting ahead, I’ve determined to overlook the Australian Open attributable to an belly muscle damage that developed in a current match.
“After lengthy discussions with my workforce and medical doctors, I’ve determined to not take to the courtroom tomorrow.
“It is disappointing, however attending to the fourth spherical right here for the primary time is one thing that may all the time stick with me. I felt a whole lot of power from the followers and the ambiance in Melbourne was actually particular. Now it is time to bounce again.”
Djokovic, who defeated Dutchman Botic van de Zinsulp in straight units within the third spherical, will take an additional 48 hours’ relaxation earlier than returning to face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti or American Taylor Fritz within the quarterfinals.
The 38-year-old is aiming for a record-extending twenty fifth Grand Slam title and eleventh Australian Open crown at Melbourne Park over the previous two weeks.
Mensik turns into the second participant prior to now 24 hours to withdraw from the match attributable to an belly damage. On night time seven, two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from her third-round match towards Australia’s Maddison Inglis after sustaining the same damage on the earlier match.
