Melbourne, Jan 25 (LaPresse) – Novak Djokovic advances to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open without playing. The Serbian tennis player benefits from the withdrawal of Czech Jakub Mensik, who announced his forfait in an Instagram story. “It’s not easy to write this. After doing everything possible to continue, I have to withdraw from the Australian Open due to an abdominal muscle injury that has worsened over the course of the last matches. After long discussions with my team and doctors, we decided not to take the court tomorrow,” Mensik explained. The 20-year-old Czech added: “Even though I’m disappointed, reaching 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. Thanks to my team for being with me every step of the way and to everyone who sent messages and cheered me on: it means more than you can imagine. Now it’s time to recover properly.” Djokovic will face in the quarterfinals the winner of the match between Lorenzo Musetti and Taylor Fritz.
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