Mensik explains what is the hardest thing about playing on grass for him

Diego Jiménez Rubio | 15 Jun 2026 | 13.57

Jakub Menšík, how to improve on grass. Photo: gettyimages

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Jakub Mensik will be one of the men to watch on this grass court tour after gaining prominence at Roland Garros. His outstanding performance on the Parisian clay, reaching the semifinals, has put the spotlight on him for Wimbledon 2026. The Czech is aware that he needs to make adjustments to his game to perform well on grass, as he mentioned before the ATP 500 Queen's 2026.

He has an exceptional serve, moves with remarkable agility for someone of his stature, and possesses an offensive mindset in his game. All of this would suggest that Jakub Mensik should be considered a player to watch on grass. However, in his early professional years, the Czech has not excelled on this surface. His record stands at 6 wins and 7 losses, with the third-round appearance at the last edition of Wimbledon being his most notable result.

Mensik analyzes what needs to change in his game when playing on grass

It seems that, sooner or later, he will face the challenge of rolling up his sleeves to make the necessary adjustments to his game that will allow him to be a contender on this surface, and why not think that 2026 might be the ideal moment for this. After pushing his limits in Grand Slams with his commendable semifinal run in Paris, the young Prostejov native is ready to invest in learning during his first encounter with grass this year at ATP 500 Queen's 2026.

He won't have much room for trial and error as he debuts against Adrian Mannarino, a seasoned specialist on this surface who could pose a tough challenge. However, based on his pre-tournament comments to TennisTV, Mensik is clear about what he needs to do to elevate his level of play on grass.

Youth players may see the grass court tour as an opportunity to grow

"It's very fun to play on grass, I love the feeling, but I feel that in previous years, I didn't invest the necessary time and attention to be as competitive as I would like. It's fantastic to have a few weeks where you feel like you're playing a different sport and break away from the routine of playing on clay or hard courts, as grass makes tennis completely different," stated the Czech player.

When asked about the adjustments he needs to make and the challenges he faces to become a better grass court player, Jakub Mensik is certain. "For someone of my height (196 centimeters), it's not easy to play here because the ball bounce is very low and fast, so you need to play in a crouched position. It also significantly changes the way you move on the court, but I feel I can improve a lot this year; I'm feeling good in training," Jakub affirmed.

These statements are interesting as it seems that many players born in the late '90s, the famous generation of Medvedev, Zverev, Tsitsipas, Ruud, Rublev, etc., haven't put in the effort, time, and interest required to adapt their game to grass and be highly competitive on this surface. This creates a power vacuum, at least in terms of strong alternatives to the top players, which could be filled by young players like Jódar, Landaluce, Tien, Fonseca, or the very own Jakub Mensik. It remains to be seen if they perceive it that way and start showing a clear willingness to improve this very year. The ATP 500 Queen's 2026 will be the determining factor, at least for the Czech.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Mensik explica qué es lo más difícil de jugar en hierba para él

Jakub Mensik