Mensik: "After beating Djokovic, I was two days without sleeping"

Fernando Murciego | 30 Apr 2025 | 22.30

Interview of Fernando Murciego with Jakub Mensik. Source: Punto de Break.

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We don't know where the ceiling will be for Jakub Mensik (Prostejov, 2005), the current champion of the Miami Masters 1000 and one of the brightest diamonds on the men's circuit. What we can tell our grandchildren is that Punto de Break was the first Spanish media to interview the Czech. It happened in August 2023, when he was #200 in the world rankings and had not yet debuted in a Grand Slam. Since then, many things have changed, except our interest in his figure.

Almost two years later, the Mutua Madrid Open allows me to have another conversation with Mensik, this time in person. His 196cm height imposes in a first approach, but his gaze still shows the shyness of a newcomer, a 19-year-old project like few others in the locker room, even though he does not always receive the recognition he deserves. Sitting in the quarterfinals of the singles draw – victories over Quinn, Shelton, and Bublik – our friend Jakub confirms that his sober demeanor on the court does not clash with having an engaging and approachable story.

Looking at how the season is going, it seems that there are no easy opponents out there anymore.

Anyone can beat anyone, you can't relax. In my case, everything that happened in Miami gave me a lot of confidence for the upcoming matches and tournaments; the question is how each one handles the pressure. I like to speak on the court; I am still 19 years old, I am learning things every day. I believe I am one of those boys who are arriving; I want to beat the best players in the world, and I know I can do it, I know I can defeat them.

I still have in my mind your image lifting the title in Miami; how do you handle success of this magnitude?

So far, well, it is after all the first title of my career. Now my intention is to have a good clay court season; I already have three victories here, but we aim for more. Last year I won some good matches in Madrid, I felt good, but every week is a different story. It is normal to lose each week until that week arrives when you win. My perspective is to normalize each match and each tournament I play.

Now people expect a lot from you; do you feel that pressure?

Honestly, no. I feel that I am still very young, I am learning; this is only my second season on the professional circuit. Every week, I learn something new, though the Miami title helped confirm that I am capable of beating the best tennis players in the world, consecutively. Obviously, when people see you with the trophy in hand, they start to think things, they begin to expect something from you, but this happens in all sports, not just in tennis. You have to take things as they come, without losing focus, focusing above all on my things and what I need to improve. This is a very long journey, for everything to work, I must focus on each day, each match, and each week.

Does life change so much for winning a Masters 1000?

Of course, many things have changed, starting with my ranking. I try to maintain the same level of concentration; that has not changed, I want to continue improving every week and showing my best version in every match.

And you are just a step away from the top 20.

It would be great to finish the season within the top 30, top 25, or top 20... we will see; these things change constantly. Things are going much better than expected at the moment; it is possible that the objectives we set at the beginning of the season have already been achieved after four months.

You are a Masters 1000 champion, yet all the attention goes to Fonseca. Does this concern you?

Everyone asks me this question (laughs). Joao is a great player; we are from the same generation, but he comes from a very large country like Brazil, perhaps that is why he receives more attention than me. I have no problem with this; for me, the important thing is success and the titles I can achieve in the future. I cannot be concerned with what happens off the court or the topics that the media discuss.

Jakub Mensik during the Media Day of the Mutua Madrid Open.

What does it mean to have charisma?

[...] Each player is different; each one presents themselves in a certain way on the court and also off it. In my case, I simply act as I am on the court, although there may be players who try to be someone else. I see that Alcaraz often ignites the crowds with some impossible shots, seeking their reaction, and that is very good... but I am not like that. Of course, there are times when I manage to do this and I do, but I have never tried to copy anyone on the court; I simply show myself as I am. This is charisma for me: showing your best version on the court, but not only in the tennis aspect, also in the personal one.

Many people criticize Alcaraz for the philosophy he exposes in his new documentary; what do you think of this?

Honestly, I haven't been able to watch it. What Carlos has done at his age is incredible; he is already a legend. If he has that mental strength, why not do all those things? He is a tough guy; he keeps stepping on the court and showing his level; it must not be easy for everyone to see you as the big favorite, so it is normal to feel that pressure from time to time.

Returning to Miami and that final against Djokovic, could you sleep the night before?

After winning, I couldn't sleep for two days (laughs). Miami was an incredible but very tough experience. I remember all the craziness before the final, with the delay due to rain and all the rest. There I was, playing the biggest final of my career against Novak, the one who has taught me everything; there can't be a better feeling. I tried to enjoy it, to bring out my best tennis; I really felt I was ready to defeat him. Fortunately, I managed to gather that confidence to win that final.

How do you see Novak? Should he retire at the end of the season?

It is a decision that Novak must make [...] Obviously, he is getting older, but he keeps fighting for the top 5 or top 10, showing that he still has the hunger to be at the top. Perhaps he won't win the four Grand Slams in the same season, but he still has the potential to win these trophies; I know he is chasing that 25th title. I really hope he can achieve it; for me, he is the best of all time, even if he doesn't win it.

Jakub Mensik in the final of the Miami Open 2025.

Where does your relationship originate?

We trained together after playing the final of the Australian Open Junior 2022; I remember he came to watch me in that match. It was during the subsequent press conference when I first said that Novak was my idol; so, he invited me to his training center in Belgrade, where I had the opportunity to share a couple of practices with him. Later on, just before Wimbledon, we repeated it in Montenegro, and that's where our friendship began.

Now that you have a Masters 1000, do you think it will be easier to win the second one? Or perhaps more difficult?

It will be the same; every week we see how tough the draws are in these types of tournaments. Winning a Masters 1000 is very complicated, but if I find myself in a final again, as happened in Miami, I already have that previous experience. It is a long road; we will see what happens in the upcoming tournaments, but there shouldn't be a big difference between the first one and that hypothetical second title. On the other hand, the first one I won against Novak Djokovic in the final; that will be almost impossible to replicate (laughs).

Lastly, let's talk about your serve. Do you train it a lot, or is it natural?

It is clear that my height is an important factor; it's like a bonus. I am lucky to be very tall, and this is an advantage over shorter players. However, I have been working on this shot all my life; right now, the serve is a fundamental point in tennis, the only point that allows you to think and put all your concentration. Behind this serve, there are many hours of training and improvements throughout the tournaments; I feel that I am gaining more confidence with my service each time. Now the goal is to be much more consistent with the serve, although it has a lot of natural elements, but I need to keep working on it.

Jakub Mensik in his interview with Fernando Murciego.

If I ask you about the three best servers on the circuit...?

At the top, I would put Mpetshi Perricard; this guy can serve at 240km/h effortlessly, sometimes even with the second serve [...] Reilly Opelka is another player with an immense serve. And the third... I would say Taylor Fritz; I played against him in Miami and couldn't break his serve throughout the match.

And Jakub Mensik?

I don't know; maybe I'm up there too (laughs).

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Mensik: “Después de ganar a Djokovic estuve dos días sin dormir”