Novak Djokovic faces a surprising turn of events. The Serbian legend, eyeing his 25th Grand Slam, came into round four with high hopes for a battle. Set to face the young star, Jakub Mensik, who beat him previously at the 2025 Miami Open final, Nole was ready to bring the big guns for another shot at the quarterfinals on Melbourne Park. However, it wasn’t quite the match he was expecting.

On Sunday afternoon, word came that the 16th seed had withdrawn from his fourth-round clash. Mensik had earned the clash with Novak by defeating American Ethan Quinn on Saturday. But roughly 24 hours before their scheduled match, he announced he was forced to pull out, taking to his Instagram to share the update.

“This is a tough one to write, Jakub Mensik wrote, “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 discussions with my team and doctors we decided not to step on court tomorrow.”

“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. 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.”

For now, Novak Djokovic is set to face either Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals. As for Mensik, his Australian Open journey will have to wait for another year. Last year, he reached the third round before falling to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

On the other hand, the Serb must hold off on his revenge for the 2025 Miami Open final. The bright side? Djokovic has boosted his Australian Open record to 103 match wins, becoming the player with the most victories in the event’s history. He overtook Roger Federer, who stands at 102. By advancing to the last eight, Djokovic also secured his 16th men’s singles quarterfinal appearance in Melbourne, the most in the Open Era, again surpassing Federer’s mark of 15.

Yet, his path hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Coming into the fourth round, Djokovic was visibly frustrated during his match against Botic van de Zandschulp on Saturday. He lost his cool for a moment, adding tension and drama to the court. Even though he later apologized, that flash of emotion gave fans something to talk about.

Novak Djokovic faces a scary moment at the Australian Open

On Saturday, Djokovic added another milestone to his legendary career. He became the first player ever to notch 400 singles wins at Grand Slams, defeating Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4). But what should’ve been a calm finish quickly turned into a moment of tension.

The incident happened when Nole led 6-3, 4-2, controlling the match with ease. After Van de Zandschulp’s return went long, an irritated Novak Djokovic flicked the ball away, and it zipped uncomfortably close to a ball girl by the net, who ducked just in time. He immediately realized how close that was. The Serb raised his hand to apologize and turned back, looking clearly shaken. The crowd gasped, sensing how serious it could have been.

“I apologized for that. That was not necessary and in the heat of the moment. I was lucky there and I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody,” he told the media.

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The scary flash stirred memories of the 2020 US Open disqualification when he accidentally struck a line judge. Thankfully, this time, luck was on his side, and play went on.

Now, with that scare behind him, the Serb is back in the chase for his 25th major. With a short break before his quarterfinal on Tuesday. The question remains: Will Melbourne witness another classic Novak semifinal run?