Jakub Mensik hopes his Miami Open success will be the first of many after the teenage Czech completed arguably the hardest task in tennis by defeating the great Novak Djokovic in a big final.
“I’m still 19, so I have all of my career in front of me. It feels great to have this (trophy) next to me, but it’s not just about the one title, one tournament… I’m hungry for more.”
Mensik did not mince his words after he beat his childhood idol in an upset for the ages, claiming his first ATP title as he denied the former No 1 in his bid for a milestone 100th.
He clearly has a taste for success.
Highlights of Mensik’s victory against Djokovic in the final of the Miami Open
Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils and Joao Fonseca are part of the Next Gen stars coming through on the professional circuit
Mensik, who beat world No 4 Taylor Fritz in the semi-final and Indian Wells champion Jack Draper in an earlier round, will rise to a career-best No 24 in the latest ATP rankings, two years after he was ranked 390th in the world.
He also became the first Czech player to win an ATP Masters 1000 event since Tomas Berdych prevailed in 2005 in Paris.
Mensik ploughed through the 24-time Grand Slam champion with poise and stellar 130 mph serves, hammering down 14 aces, and was broken only once as Djokovic was denied his 100th career title and a record seventh at the Miami Open.
“Never really happy to lose, but there was he’s one of the very few players that I would be happier to lose to, to be honest. I’ve seen him play when he was 15 or 16 and invited him. We had some training blocks together. He was training at my club in Belgrade, and to see his development and evolution is really great, amazing,” said 37-year-old Djokovic.
“I could see back then already that three, four years ago that he’s going to be one of the top players of the world. So, I’m super glad that he is using the potential that he has because he’s got a complete game.
“He serves incredible, powerful, precise, wins a lot of free points with the first serve. Backhand as well, his forehand has improved a lot and his movement for a tall big guy like that, he slides and moves well. And he still can improve of course, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing him around.”
Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios took to social media, calling Mensik “special” as the Prostejov native delivered on his potential with his maiden title.
“Mensik is truly something special. Not just to have such composure against the greatest of all time on such a stage, but the fact that he is 19….. this is truly a special kid with plenty of potential to do special things.”
Mensik revealed he nearly pulled out of the Miami Open due to pain in his knee
Who is Jakub Mensik?
The talented 19-year-old, nicknamed ‘Menimal’, loves spare ribs and towers above his opponents at 6ft 4in. He is fast following in the footsteps of legendary Czechs Petra Kvitova and Tomas Berdych.
At 17, he became the youngest man since Borna Coric in 2014 to win a main-draw match at the US Open and made it through to the third round in 2023, where Fritz ended his tournament.
Mensik even received an unexpected invite to practice with Djokovic after his breakthrough.
“I mean, playing with Novak or being part of his preparation, it was very important for me,” he reflected. “Such a good experience because it pushed me a lot. When you can spend some time with the best player in the world, maybe in history, I don’t even know what to say… I learned a lot of things.”
Watch how Mensik defeated Andy Murray en route to the Qatar Open final last year
Mensik reached his first tour-level final in 2024 at the Qatar Open where he defeated Andy Murray and top seed Andrey Rublev before losing in the final to Karen Khachanov.
He then upset Grigor Dimitrov en route to the Madrid Masters third round and then made the third round of the US Open for the second year running.
The talented youngster stunned sixth seed Casper Ruud in the second round of the Australian Open but went out in the next round to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
He then suffered a dip in form following his exploits in Melbourne. However, the Miami Open has seen a resurgence in form from the Czech where he showed maturity beyond his years to master an all-time great.
Mensik is part of a generation of young players coming through that includes Brazilian wonderkid Joao Fonseca, American Learner Tien and Frenchman Arthur Fils.
Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the US Open in New York, live on Sky Sports in 2025 or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Vor 15 Jahren – Super-Olic trifft, Bayern im Finale!
„FC Bayern vor 15 Jahren“ ist eine Serie, in der SPORTBILD historische Artikel wieder zum Leben erweckt. Lesen Sie heute, was die Bayern im Jahr 2010 bewegte.Der Artikel „Super-Olic trifft, Bayern im Finale!“ ist am 27. April 2010 bei BILD erschienenBayern ist zurück in der absoluten Elite der Fußballwelt. Durch einen 3:0-Sieg bei Olympique Lyon zieht das Team von Louis van Gaal ins Champions-League-Finale ein.Der Held des Abends: Ivica Olic (30)! Mit gleich drei Treffern ballert er Bayern im Alleingang in den Fußball-Himmel.Olic einfach überragend! Der Kroate lässt die Bayern träumen: Genau ein Jahr nach der Entlassung von Klinsmann steht der FC Bayern im Finale der Königsklasse.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Was war das für eine geile Nacht in Lyon!Bayern ist von Beginn an das spielbestimmende Team. Gleich in der 3. Minute Müller mit der Riesen-Chance: Olic erobert auf rechts den Ball, passt […]
Trpišovský po titulu: Odejdou asi dva hráči. Tykač dodržel vše, co řekl
Se Slavií máte čtvrtý titul. Dají se nějak porovnat?Je to těžké, každý titul je jiný. Jsem rád, že jsme hráli v Olomouci, protože je tu skvělý stadion. Když jsme měli titul získat venku, tak je dobře, že to bylo tady. Beru to jako úlevu pro sebe a pro lidi. Mám totiž radost, když mají radost ostatní. Stavím to momentálně i nad trofeje. Moc si toho vážím. Čísla pro mě teď nejsou důležitá.A co tedy?Čekání bylo delší, než jsme byli zvyklí. Měli jsme tři tituly za sebou, pak jsme byli třikrát druzí. Lidi si to moc zasloužili. Jezdí s námi vždy a všude. V minulé sezoně jsme měli dvacet šest vítězství a v posledním kole už jsme o titul nehráli. Sice můžete mít pocit, že tým odvedl spoustu práce, ale každého zajímá jen první místo. Titulu v této sezoně se hodně obětovalo. Kvalita ligy je obrovská. Když slavíme čtyři kola […]
Avalanche demolish Stars to even series, Gabriel Landeskog scores: Takeaways
DENVER — When is the Hollywood movie called “Landy’s Return’’ coming out?Gabriel Landeskog brought the house down Saturday night with his first goal since his return — after a three-year absence — from a career-threatening injury, and the Colorado Avalanche cruised to a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars to even this spectacular first-round playoff series at two wins apiece.AdvertisementA series hyped as worthy of a conference final is giving us exactly that.Already up 2-0 and tilting the ice big time on the Stars — only Jake Oettinger kept the game close for 30-plus minutes — Brock Nelson carried the puck into the offensive zone and dropped it into the high slot for an oncoming Landeskog, who blistered a snap shot past the Dallas netminder at 13:10 of the middle period.What ensued was pure bedlam at Ball Arena, the crowd […]
Whether Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft slide was talent evaluation or ‘arrogance,’ there are some lessons
A little over a year ago, when multiple major college stars declined to participate in any workout portion of the league’s annual scouting combine, an AFC general manager pointed to the growing trend as the arrival of the “opt-out” generation.As I pulled together a story about it, I spent days listening to decision makers inside the league either grouse or contextualize it. To many, it was an example of a troubling new norm, where some NFL Draft prospects didn’t see the pre-draft process as necessary to make a successful transition into the league. To others, it was an example of players taking power into their own hands and refusing to take part in something that would likely only hurt them.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Every step has been eroded over time,” one high-ranking AFC executive complained. “Guys opt out of high school games, college bowls, […]
Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suárez hits 4 homers in loss against Braves
PHOENIX — When Eugenio Suárez hit four home runs Saturday and his Arizona Diamondbacks still lost to the Atlanta Braves 8-7 in 10 innings, he became just the second player in MLB history to do such a thing.Plenty of Braves fans are old enough to remember the first: Bob Horner, who did it for the Braves on July 6, 1986, in an 11-8 loss to the Montreal Expos.Advertisement“We were wondering if it had happened at all,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said. “Obviously, we want to come out on the winning side. He had a hell of a day at the plate, but putting one in the win column is more important.”Seventeen other players in major league history have hit four homers in a game, and 17 times their teams won.“I mean that’s unbelievable what the guy did,” Braves manager […]
NBA playoffs: Draymond Green mocks Rockets’ Jalen Green in confrontation after Warriors’ Game 3 win
You will not be surprised to hear the Houston Rockets have a bone or two to pick with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green. It was true during Saturday's Game 3, and quite apparent immediately after the game.As the buzzer sounded on the Warriors' 104-93 win over the Rockets to take a 2-1 series lead, Rockets wing Jalen Green approached the elder Green at the logo, and was angry enough that teammate Fred VanVleet had to step between them.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs the younger Green was led away, his veteran counterpart made an unmistakable gesture of painting his nails, a dig at something the Rockets star is known to enjoy doing. That didn't help Jalen cool down.Both players downplayed the incident after the game, with Jalen Green attempting to minimize Draymond's contributions during the game:"It was just talking. He can't really do much […]
Related
Vor 15 Jahren – Super-Olic trifft, Bayern im Finale!
„FC Bayern vor 15 Jahren“ ist eine Serie, in der SPORTBILD historische Artikel wieder zum Leben erweckt. Lesen Sie heute, was die Bayern im Jahr 2010 bewegte.Der Artikel „Super-Olic trifft, Bayern im Finale!“ ist am 27. April 2010 bei BILD erschienenBayern ist zurück in der absoluten Elite der Fußballwelt. Durch einen 3:0-Sieg bei Olympique Lyon zieht das Team von Louis van Gaal ins Champions-League-Finale ein.Der Held des Abends: Ivica Olic (30)! Mit gleich drei Treffern ballert er Bayern im Alleingang in den Fußball-Himmel.Olic einfach überragend! Der Kroate lässt die Bayern träumen: Genau ein Jahr nach der Entlassung von Klinsmann steht der FC Bayern im Finale der Königsklasse.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Was war das für eine geile Nacht in Lyon!Bayern ist von Beginn an das spielbestimmende Team. Gleich in der 3. Minute Müller mit der Riesen-Chance: Olic erobert auf rechts den Ball, passt […]
Trpišovský po titulu: Odejdou asi dva hráči. Tykač dodržel vše, co řekl
Se Slavií máte čtvrtý titul. Dají se nějak porovnat?Je to těžké, každý titul je jiný. Jsem rád, že jsme hráli v Olomouci, protože je tu skvělý stadion. Když jsme měli titul získat venku, tak je dobře, že to bylo tady. Beru to jako úlevu pro sebe a pro lidi. Mám totiž radost, když mají radost ostatní. Stavím to momentálně i nad trofeje. Moc si toho vážím. Čísla pro mě teď nejsou důležitá.A co tedy?Čekání bylo delší, než jsme byli zvyklí. Měli jsme tři tituly za sebou, pak jsme byli třikrát druzí. Lidi si to moc zasloužili. Jezdí s námi vždy a všude. V minulé sezoně jsme měli dvacet šest vítězství a v posledním kole už jsme o titul nehráli. Sice můžete mít pocit, že tým odvedl spoustu práce, ale každého zajímá jen první místo. Titulu v této sezoně se hodně obětovalo. Kvalita ligy je obrovská. Když slavíme čtyři kola […]
Avalanche demolish Stars to even series, Gabriel Landeskog scores: Takeaways
DENVER — When is the Hollywood movie called “Landy’s Return’’ coming out?Gabriel Landeskog brought the house down Saturday night with his first goal since his return — after a three-year absence — from a career-threatening injury, and the Colorado Avalanche cruised to a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars to even this spectacular first-round playoff series at two wins apiece.AdvertisementA series hyped as worthy of a conference final is giving us exactly that.Already up 2-0 and tilting the ice big time on the Stars — only Jake Oettinger kept the game close for 30-plus minutes — Brock Nelson carried the puck into the offensive zone and dropped it into the high slot for an oncoming Landeskog, who blistered a snap shot past the Dallas netminder at 13:10 of the middle period.What ensued was pure bedlam at Ball Arena, the crowd […]
Whether Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft slide was talent evaluation or ‘arrogance,’ there are some lessons
A little over a year ago, when multiple major college stars declined to participate in any workout portion of the league’s annual scouting combine, an AFC general manager pointed to the growing trend as the arrival of the “opt-out” generation.As I pulled together a story about it, I spent days listening to decision makers inside the league either grouse or contextualize it. To many, it was an example of a troubling new norm, where some NFL Draft prospects didn’t see the pre-draft process as necessary to make a successful transition into the league. To others, it was an example of players taking power into their own hands and refusing to take part in something that would likely only hurt them.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Every step has been eroded over time,” one high-ranking AFC executive complained. “Guys opt out of high school games, college bowls, […]
Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suárez hits 4 homers in loss against Braves
PHOENIX — When Eugenio Suárez hit four home runs Saturday and his Arizona Diamondbacks still lost to the Atlanta Braves 8-7 in 10 innings, he became just the second player in MLB history to do such a thing.Plenty of Braves fans are old enough to remember the first: Bob Horner, who did it for the Braves on July 6, 1986, in an 11-8 loss to the Montreal Expos.Advertisement“We were wondering if it had happened at all,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said. “Obviously, we want to come out on the winning side. He had a hell of a day at the plate, but putting one in the win column is more important.”Seventeen other players in major league history have hit four homers in a game, and 17 times their teams won.“I mean that’s unbelievable what the guy did,” Braves manager […]
NBA playoffs: Draymond Green mocks Rockets’ Jalen Green in confrontation after Warriors’ Game 3 win
You will not be surprised to hear the Houston Rockets have a bone or two to pick with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green. It was true during Saturday's Game 3, and quite apparent immediately after the game.As the buzzer sounded on the Warriors' 104-93 win over the Rockets to take a 2-1 series lead, Rockets wing Jalen Green approached the elder Green at the logo, and was angry enough that teammate Fred VanVleet had to step between them.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs the younger Green was led away, his veteran counterpart made an unmistakable gesture of painting his nails, a dig at something the Rockets star is known to enjoy doing. That didn't help Jalen cool down.Both players downplayed the incident after the game, with Jalen Green attempting to minimize Draymond's contributions during the game:"It was just talking. He can't really do much […]
Be the first to leave a comment