Novak Djokovic encountered multiple challenges during the Miami Open final on Sunday, making it a difficult match for the Serbian tennis legend. The start of the match was postponed by over five and a half hours due to weather conditions. Furthermore, Djokovic had to deal with an eye infection, which hindered his performance, and a court made dangerously slick by the high humidity following rain showers.
Despite these difficulties, his biggest obstacle came in the form of Jakub Mensik, a 19-year-old rising star from the Czech Republic. The young and powerful 6-foot-4 player demonstrated remarkable skill and composure, ultimately outplaying the 37-year-old Djokovic with a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) victory to claim his first-ever ATP title.
Ranked 54th in the world before the tournament, Mensik showed maturity beyond his years, using his incredible 130 mph serve to dominate the match. He delivered 14 aces and was only broken once during the entire contest. When the moment of victory arrived, Mensik sealed the match with a service winner and immediately fell onto his back in celebration.
During the post-match ceremony, Mensik expressed his admiration for Djokovic, acknowledging the Serbian as his inspiration for taking up tennis. “You’re the one I idolized when I was young,” Mensik said, adding, “I started playing tennis because of you.”
Djokovic had been aiming for his 100th career title and a record-breaking seventh Miami Open championship, but the teenager’s performance ultimately denied him that milestone. While the loss was disappointing for Djokovic, he recognized Mensik’s outstanding achievement and potential.
“This is a joyous moment for him and his family — an unbelievable tournament, first of many,” Djokovic said, graciously accepting defeat. “It hurts me to admit it, you were better. In the clutch moments you delivered the goods. For a young player like yourself, this is a great feature.”
Mensik’s triumph signals the arrival of a new talent in professional tennis, and his performance suggests he may soon be a formidable presence among the sport’s elite.
But the men’s leader with 24 Grand Slam titles seemed compromised by his eye issue, with redness seen under the eyelid. Djokovic applied eyedrops during two changeovers in the first set. It was unclear if it affected his vision.
Afterward, Djokovic said he “really prefers not to talk about” his eye, but said “I didn’t feel my greatest on the court.”
Djokovic called it “a weird day.”
“It’s the same for both players,” he added. “You have to accept the circumstances. I tried to make the most out of what I had or was facing but, yeah, it was quite different from any other day of the tournament for me.
During the set, he also slipped twice on the court. The humidity reached 90% after hours of rain disrupted the card. Sweating profusely, Djokovic asked the umpire for a bucket of sawdust to sprinkle on his wet grip.
Mensik had lost to Djokovic in a three-setter last October at the Shanghai Masters but the youngster said before the match he had played too nervously.
Mensik was playing his first ATP 1000 final. He was not quite 2 years old when Djokovic won his first Miami Open title in 2007.
Djokovic knew Mensik’s potential after inviting him to his camp in Belgrade to train when the prodigy was 16.
“He has the complete game. His serve is incredible, powerful, precise,” Djokovic said.
There was more fearlessness this time than in Shanghai. Mensik got up 3-0 with an early break but Djokovic broke back at 4-3, then held for 4-4 after fans chanted his name.
Mensik held for a 6-5 lead in a game that saw Djokovic take a tumble in the doubles alley chasing a drop shot. Mensik served it out with his seventh ace.
In the first-set tiebreak, Mensik charged ahead 5-0. Mensik executed a leaping backhand volley winner and Djokovic muffed a routine forehand drop shot into the net to fall behind 5-0. On set point, Mensik slugged an overhead smash for a winner.
