M 1000 MIAMI OPEN.
Czech teenager Jakub Mensik upset Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4) to win the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, denying the Serb his 100th career title. The 19-year-old, ranked 54th in the world, claimed his first title on the ATP Tour with an outstanding display of powerful tennis. The final was delayed by almost six hours due to heavy rain.
This was only Mensik’s second ATP Tour final, but he showed few nerves in by far the biggest match of his career. According to Infosys ATP Stats, Djokovic has the best tie-break winning percentage on record (nearly 66%). But the 19-year-old was the calmer player under pressure, winning both tie-breaks to improve to 7-0 in tie-breaks in the tournament, during which he also eliminated Indian Wells champion Jack Draper in two tie-breaks.
“To be honest I don’t know what to say. It feels incredible, obviously,” Mensik said in his on-court interview. “It was probably the biggest day of my life and I did super, which I’m really glad (about), to show the performance and keep the nerves outside of the court before the match.
Photo Gabriel Matteazzi
“I feel just super happy and I think that the feelings will come later,” he said.
Photo Gabriel Matteazzi
Mensik has made no secret of the fact that he grew up with Djokovic his idol and after receiving the trophy he said that he started his career in the hope of emulating the Serb. “There is no harder task for a tennis player than to beat you in the final of a tournament,” he said.