Novak Djokovic’s chances of winning a 25th Grand Slam title were given a significant boost on Sunday when his round of 16 opponent withdrew from the tournament.
Jakub Mensik withdrew from the Australian Open due to an abdominal injury, handing the 10-time champion an automatic quarter-final berth.
Consequently, Djokovic will face Lorenzo Musetti in the last eight. Musetti, who has failed to win an ATP title since 2022, defeated Taylor Fritz in the fourth round.
Jim Courier, twice a champion in Melbourne, has weighed in on Mensik’s withdrawal and Djokovic’s possible reaction to the news.
Who would win this legendary showdown?
Jim Courier says Novak Djokovic would have had a ‘split’ reaction to Jakub Mensik’s withdrawal
Lindsay Davenport, the 1999 Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles champion, began by comparing Djokovic’s 2026 Australian Open run, to the one he had in 2025.
Djokovic spent significantly longer on court during his 2025 campaign, as noted by Davenport.
As broadcast by the Tennis Channel, Davenport said: “Last year in his run to the semi-finals, lost a set in his opening round match to [Nishesh] Basavareddy, lost a set to [Jaime] Faria in the second round, also lost that set to [Carlos] Alcaraz in the quarters.
“So he went into that semi-final match in much different position than he is this year. Jim was talking about it, absolutely huge for him, to be able to kind of, get through pretty easily now to a quarter-final.”
“As you said, has a few days off and just get ready to go for these last three matches if he can do it.”
Recovery time is a crucial factor when discussing Djokovic’s chances of winning in Australia. The Serbian star is a senior figure on the ATP Tour who struggled physically throughout the 2025 season; and Mensik’s withdrawal from the 2026 event has handed Djokovic an extra period to rest and recuperate, boosting his chances of claiming the title.
Jim Courier discussed Djokovic’s possible reaction to the news of Mensik’s withdrawal.
“I think he would be split,” Courier said.
“I’m sure he would feel empathy for Mensik, because he knows Mensik is a young player and he’s nurtured Mensik, they’ve practised together, he invited Jakub to come and train with him when he was very young, when he had actually played well here at the Australian Open.
“But he’ll also recognise his good fortune and he’ll capitalise on it.
“He’ll do what Prakash said: he’ll use all of that vast wealth of experience to maximise these next couple days to make sure his tennis is ready to go and his body’s ready to go, where he doesn’t put it at risk at all.”
Who has impressed you most so far at the Australian Open?
How many points will Novak Djokovic gain if he wins the Australian Open?
At the 2025 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic earned 800 ATP points by reaching the semi-finals.
The Serb has reclaimed 400 of those points so far after reaching the quarter-final stage at the 2026 event.
If Djokovic were to defeat Musetti in the quarter-finals, he would match his performance from last year, guaranteeing that he would not lose any ATP points.
If the Serbian star wins the event, he would gain an extra 1,200 points, boosting his points total to 5,580 points.
