Jakub Mensik Stuns Novak Djokovic to Claim First ATP Tour Title at Miami Open

Jakub Mensik achieved an unforgettable victory in his tennis career by capturing his first ATP Tour title. On Sunday, the #NextGenATP star from the Czech Republic overcame both adverse weather and the formidable challenge of a record-chasing opponent. He shocked six-time Miami Open champion Novak Djokovic with a 7-6(4), 7-6(4) victory to claim the Miami Open presented by Itau trophy. At just 19, Mensik became the second-youngest winner in the tournament’s history, trailing only Carlos Alcaraz, who had won the title at 18 in 2022.

“Honestly, I’m at a loss for words; it’s an incredible feeling,” Mensik expressed during his on-court interview. “This might be the most significant day of my life, and I’m thrilled with my performance, managing to keep nerves at bay before the match. I’m elated, and I think the full impact of these emotions will hit me later.”

The match in Florida was delayed for nearly six hours due to rain, providing the young star ample time to reflect on the daunting task ahead—preventing Djokovic from securing his landmark 100th tour-level title. Despite being born in September 2005, when Djokovic was already among the top 100 players in the PIF ATP Rankings, Mensik rose to the occasion.

Demonstrating remarkable composure, the Czech played the match of his life, showcasing a dazzling serving performance and becoming the first player from the Czech Republic to win an ATP Masters 1000 event since Tomas Berdych’s 2005 Paris victory.

“This wasn’t my first encounter with Novak,” Mensik said, who had previously faced Djokovic in last year’s Shanghai quarter-finals, losing in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. “Defeating him in a final is one of tennis’s toughest challenges. But, feeling great today, I focused on my game just as I had throughout the tournament.”

Although this was only Mensik’s second ATP Tour final, he showed remarkable poise in what was the most significant match of his career. According to Infosys ATP Stats, Djokovic has the record for the best tie-break winning percentage at nearly 66%. Nevertheless, Mensik remained composed under pressure, triumphing in both tie-breaks and improving to 7-0 in tie-breaks for the tournament. Along the way, he also ousted Indian Wells champion Jack Draper in two tie-break sets.

From the outset, it was evident that Djokovic was struggling with an issue under his right eye, often reaching for it and using eye drops during breaks.

Mensik entered this challenge following a win over Taylor Fritz, the No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, maintaining his momentum to jump to an early 3-0 lead against Djokovic. Djokovic, owning 99 tour-level titles, misfired on a forehand to concede a break in the match’s second game and initially struggled to find his rhythm.

When Mensik mishit a backhand allowing the break back, Djokovic turned up the pressure, but became increasingly agitated, directing frequent conversations towards his team, including Carlos Gomez-Herrera, who anxiously signaled his advice.

This irritation spilled into the tie-break, where Djokovic ultimately cracked. Mensik leapt to a 5/0 lead, exhibiting his athletic prowess with a backhand smash and letting Djokovic make errors, both physically and in his shot choices.

The six-time Miami champion forced Mensik to earn the set, closing the gap to 6/4, but Mensik sealed the opener with an overhead shot, roaring towards his support box in celebration.

While Djokovic rediscovered his form from the back of the court early in the second set, piling pressure onto his young competitor, Mensik was relentless with his precise serves. He faced only one break point throughout the match and won 77% of his first-serve points, based on Infosys ATP Stats.

After releasing a return on his first match point, seeing Djokovic’s shot just graze the baseline, Mensik remained unperturbed. He unleashed another unreturned serve and fell to the court, savoring his triumphant moment.

Mensik’s win will elevate him to a career-high No. 24 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday, surpassing Jiri Lehecka and becoming the second-ranking Czech player behind Tomas Machac at No. 21. Just two years prior, he was ranked World No. 390.

Djokovic experienced a resurgence this week, starting the tournament with a 7-4 record for the year. Despite the setback in missing out on his 100th career trophy, the Serbian praised Mensik during the trophy ceremony.

“This is Jakub’s moment—his team’s moment, his family’s moment. Congratulations, an unbelievable tournament,” Djokovic said. “It pains me to admit it, but you were better! In those crucial moments, you delivered with extraordinary serving and showed phenomenal mental strength to remain steadfast in challenging situations.”