Jakub Mensik reveals bitter truth about not getting the same ‘attention’ as Joao Fonseca while being new to the tour
Jakub Mensik is into his first Masters 1000 semifinal and is the only teenager in the top 50 ranking.
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Joao Fonseca (image via Instagram @joaoffonseca), Jakub Mensik (image via Instagram @mensik.yakub)
Many tennis fans opine that the hype around Joao Fonseca is exaggerated. Jakub Mensik, another teenager soaring on tour, has also weighed in on the immense attention Fonseca receives. The Brazilian has been appreciated by many top active and retired players like Andy Murray, who often shows his excitement for Fonseca in his tweets, or Iga Swiatek, who felt the ATP tour was pretty lackluster after her idol Rafael Nadal‘s retirement but made an exception for Carlos Alcaraz along with Fonseca.
While Fonseca is extremely talented, having won the Argentina Open, an ATP 250 tournament, and the Challenger Phoenix, he has faced early exits in bigger events like the Australian Open, Indian Wells Open, and Miami Open. Albeit being unable to proceed beyond the third round in Miami, Fonseca didn’t fail to turn the crowd Brazilian, roaring in support for him.
Right now, Jannik and Carlos are the best in the world, so it is normal to hear a lot about them; they have already achieved very big things in tennis. Now, new guys are coming into the circuit; for me, 2024 was my first professional year, so I didn’t get as much attention, although Joao Fonseca has had it in 2025.
Jakub Mensik told the reporters at the Miami Open
Fonseca’s fandom even overshadowed Mensik’s Miami Open match against Jack Draper. While Mensik delivered a stunning performance, upsetting the Indian Wells champion in straight sets and recording his sixth victory over a top 10 player, the crowd was more focused on Fonseca’s second-round match, which initially was scheduled to take place in that stadium later.
The change of Fonseca’s match venue from frustrated the Brazilian fans. Massive crowds left Draper and Mensik’s match at Grandstand when Fonseca’s match started playing at the Stadium Court. Some fans, however, got caught in as the court closed off for the start of the match and started booing and chanting “Joao Fonseca”.
Jakub Mensik believes the comparatively less attention might have something to do with the fact that he is Czech
Several fans believe that other young tennis players like Mirra Andreeva, Alexandra Eala, and Jakub Mensik are deserving of more attention than Joao Fonseca. 17-year-old Andreeva, albeit recently clinching two WTA 1000 titles back-to-back, was subjected to a flood of vile and hateful comments after losing to Amanda Amisinova at the Miami Open.
While Andreeva and Eala still do receive a good deal of praise on the WTA tour, on the ATP tour Mensik does not seem to receive a fraction of the love and recognition showered on Fonseca. Although Mensik is yet to win his first ATP title, he is now into his first Masters 1000 semifinal and is the only teenager in the top 50 ranking. The 19-year-old boasts the most victories over top-10 players among any teenager on the tour, also being the fourth active male to own a positive record against top-10 players.
I don’t have a clear answer for this, maybe it’s because I come from the Czech Republic, a smaller country. Even here in Miami, I feel like I’m in South America, I still haven’t heard anyone speak English in the city, everyone speaks Spanish. It’s great to see new names landing, we’re here to follow in the footsteps of Jannik and Carlos, in the end, attention will fall on whoever is the best player in the world.
Jakub Mensik added
When speaking about the differential treatment, Mensik suggested that perhaps the reason why he doesn’t get the attention and hype is because he is from the Czech Republic, a much smaller country. Tennis was initially a sport dominated by the likes of the USA, UK, France, and Australia.
Czechoslovakia later broke that dominance when Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl reached the top. Later, several other formidable Czech players also emerged on the scene, e.g., Hana Mandlikova, Jana Novotna, and Jan Kodes.
Jakub Mensik will face Taylor Fritz in the Miami Open finals
Jakub Mensik has had a phenomenal run in the 2025 Miami Open. He has reached the semifinals without dropping a set en route. Apart from defeating Indian Wells champion, Jack Draper, he has also outplayed several other higher-ranked players, like compatriot Tomas Machac and Arthur Fils.
Mensik will face third seed Taylor Fritz in the semifinals. This will mark their second meeting on court. Fritz had defeated Mensik in their previous meeting at the 2023 US Open Round of 32. The winner of this upcoming match will face either Novak Djokovic or Grigor Dimitrov in the finals.
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