Teenager Mensik denies Djokovic 100th title in Miami

With a stellar Miami Open victory, youngster Jakub Mensik denied Novak Djokovic’s 100th ATP singles title to his former idol.

On a gloomy, humid night, the 19-year-old Czech won his first ATP Tour title over Serbia’s Djokovic 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4) on a sticky, humid night.

Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, had been competing to become the third person to have won 100 singles titles during the Open era.

The 37-year-old will continue to wait after losing to Mensik, who was just 10 months old when Djokovic won his first championship in 2006.

Mensik is a new rising star in the men’s game, and his powerful serve and backhand have helped him rank among the top 50 players worldwide.

Mensik said in his winning speech that Djokovic was “the reason I am here,” and that he had invited him to practice with him after the 2022 Australian Open when he was still a junior.

Mensik also expressed gratitude to his physiotherapist for treating him for a knee condition that almost caused him to withdraw in Miami’s first round.

Mensik said, “I was holding the paper to withdraw from the tournament an hour before my first match here.”

“It was just lucky that the referee had lunch,” I said.

I arrived for the treatment, I said. He performed a miracle, and I am now standing in this place as a result.

At the conclusion of the match, fourth seed Djokovic warmly thanked Mensik and said, “It hurts me to admit it, but you were better.”

Mensik, who reached the Qatar Open final in February 2024, saw a slight rise in his career.

In Miami, he successfully handled the pressure of the competition, defeating three of his top ten rivals, Djokovic, Jack Draper, and Taylor Fritz, to claim the biggest title of his career.

Mensik adjusted more quickly than Djokovic after a five and a half hour rain delay before the final.

When he ran out of time, he broke Djokovic, and his first serve burst with a 4-1 lead.

Djokovic, in contrast, had a difficult start. He fell twice, was unable to use sawdust to protect his racquet from the humidity, and needed eye drops after experiencing swelling in his right eye.

His serve improved as the set progressed, and Mensik eventually received the break for his backhand slice, which was particularly troubling.

Djokovic made a poor start to the match, even though he saved two set points before Mensik smashed his way into the opener, which seemed inevitable.

The encounter took place in a similar fashion to the previous one, which took place in Shanghai last year, when Mensik won the first set on a breaker before going out in the second set.

However, he maintained the intensity this time. Mensik didn’t have a break point in the second set as the heat and humidity started to weigh him.

Djokovic could only watch as Mensik sent three excellent serves past him in a tie-break before the Serb whacked his thigh with his racquet after dropping the opening point in it while he was sneezing heavily and wiping his face on a towel between each point.

If the argument were condensed, Djokovic won. However, Mensik persevered throughout the lengthy rallies, sending Djokovic flying around the court and ultimately clinching three match points.

Djokovic made a superb return to the baseline during the second one, but Mensik put together a fitting conclusion by serving the third serve wide.

He will now rank 24th in the world after his career-high.