Tough test for the Serbian record hunter
Novak Djokovic is still driven by the possibility of winning his 25th Grand Slam singles title. The exceptional athlete is breaking record after record again this year. In his recent 3-0 victory over Botic van de Zandschulp, Djoker recorded his 400th singles victory at a Grand Slam tournament.
At the Australian Open, which he has won ten times, it was his 102nd singles victory, meaning he has not only caught up with Roger Federer, but also overtaken him. Nevertheless, Jakub Mensik’s tip for Novak Djokovic’s next victory is not a sure thing.
The fact that Nole ultimately failed to win a single singles title on the ATP Tour in the 2025 season for the first time since 2017, a year marked by injuries, also has to do with Jakub Mensik, who beat Djoker 2-0 in the final of the Miami Masters. In their previous encounter, the 20-year-old Czech also took a set off the Serbian veteran. Against this backdrop, we assume that Novak Djokovic will have to drop at least one set for the first time in this round of 16 after three consecutive 3-0 victories. We therefore recommend betting on more than 3.5 sets being played before the winner is determined.
In two meetings between the two players, there were three tiebreaks. Jakub Mensik won all three. At the end of the day, however, the Australian Open is a special place for Djokovic, who has won ten titles at the hard court Grand Slam Down Under and has 102 wins from 112 singles matches.
Although we expect the Czech to take a set off him, it would be a high-risk bet to predict that the Serbian stalwart will win this match 3-1.
Jakub Mensik – Novak Djokovic Head-to-head record / H2H record
Head to head: 1:1
The two athletes have already crossed paths twice, and the head-to-head record is even, with one win each. In their first meeting in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Shanghai Rolex Masters, Djoker prevailed 2:1 against the Czech (6:7, 6:1 and 6:4), Jakub Mensik took revenge last year in the final of the Miami Masters, winning both tiebreaks against Novak Djokovic in a straight 2:0 victory (7:6 and 7:6).
Jakub Mensik – Novak Djokovic Tip
Basically, our prediction for Jakub Mensik vs. Novak Djokovic is that the 38-year-old Serb will advance, as he continues to surpass himself at Grand Slam level and set one record after another for eternity in the golden autumn of his career. However, at least in terms of physicality, the 20-year-old Czech has the clear advantage, having also recorded two clean 3-0 victories in the last two rounds and now reaching the round of 16 of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. In two previous encounters with Djokovic, Mensik has already taken three sets off the old master – curiously, all three in tiebreaks.
It is therefore interesting to bet that this match will not be decided in three straight sets, but will be a long one. We therefore recommend betting that more than 3.5 sets will be played before the quarterfinalist is determined, who will then face either Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz.
