Jakub Mensik reveals ‘key’ to his victory over Novak Djokovic in Miami Open final
Jakub Mensik tied his head-to-head record against Novak Djokovic to 1-1 after beating him in the Miami Open final.
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Novak Djokovic, Jakub Mensik (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, ATP)
Jakub Mensik stayed calm throughout the Miami Open final. He knew that to eke out a win against Novak Djokovic in any final, will require immense focus. But another factor that contributed to his win was the timing of the match.
The Miami Open final was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. local time but rain played spoilsport and Djokovic and Mensik didn’t walk onto the court before 8:45 p.m. local time. Mensik thinks the condition changed a bit at night and it affected Djokovic’s game.
The key was probably just to stay calm, which I was not! But I tried my best, at least. To prepare as best as I can, I think it was a little bit better for me because when I compare playing here during the night and during the day….for me, it is probably a bit better to play during the night. When we stepped onto the court, it was night already. I was a little bit more happy with those circumstances.
Jakub Mensik told Tennis Channel
Mensik observed that during the night matches, the ball started to fly a little more. En route to claiming the title, Mensik had played three of his six matches in the evening.
Novak Djokovic reveals one shot Jakub Mensik has improved a lot
Last year, Novak Djokovic came close to his 100th ATP title at the Shanghai Masters, but he fell in straight sets to World No.1 Jannik Sinner. En route to the final, the Serb met Jakub Mensik for the first time in his career.
They locked horns in the quarterfinal where the 37-year-old came from a set down to knock out the Czech ace. Now that Mensik tied the head-to-head record with Nole to 1-1, the latter revealed one shot that the teenager hits much better.
I mean, the serve consistency, I think he was serving even better than he was serving in Shanghai, and there he was serving really well. I think the game was similar, but my level was not like it was in Shanghai.
Novak Djokovic said at the press conference
Djokovic, who was defeated in his first match at Indian Wells, was also denied his 41st Masters 1000 title by Mensik, who became the fourth player to claim his first ATP title at a Masters 1000 event. It was also the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s first final since the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
Jakub Mensik scripts history as a Czech player at the Miami Open
Mensik entered the tournament as World No.54 and claiming the 1000 point means, he jumped 30 places up to achieve a new career-high ranking of No.24. He became the lowest-ranked man to win the second Masters 1000 of the season.
He is now the second highest ranked player from the Czech Republic and is only behind World No.21 Tomas Machac. He surpassed Jiri Lehecka, who is occupying the 29th position on the rankings table. Additionally, Mensik has become the first Czech player since Tomas Berdych to win an ATP Masters 1000. Berdych, who retired in 2019, had won the Paris Masters in 2005.
Mensik is also the second youngest player to emerge victorious in the second event of the Sunshine Double. World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz had won the tournament at the age of 18 in 2022.
Mensik has become the first player to win seven tie-breaks before taking home a Masters 1000 tournament. He is also the second player to win seven tie-breaks en route to an ATP title after John Isner at the 2013 Atlanta Open. Mensik had played those tiebreaks against Jack Draper, Arthur Fils, Taylor Fritz, and Novak Djokovic.
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