Meet Jakub Mensik: 20-year-old Czech rising star, inspired and mentored by Novak Djokovic, who stunned Jannik Sinner at Qatar Open

Mensik’s breakthrough moment came in 2025, when he beat Djokovic at the Miami Open final for his first Masters 1000 crown at just 19 and denied his idol then the shot at a 100th career title. That triumph signalled quite a few milestones. According to Opta, Mensik – who was No 54 in the world then – became only the second teenager ranked outside the ATP’s top 20 to win an ATP Masters 1000 event, after the legendary Michael Chang way back in 1990 at Toronto. And he also achieved the rare distinction of being the second player ranked outside the ATP’s top 50 to defeat Djokovic in an ATP event title clash, after Stan Wawrinka in Umag 2006, which was the Serbian superstar’s second career final.

All these milestones were significant because the Djokovic connection is unmissable in Mensik’s journey. “Because of him, I started to play tennis. He’s my biggest idol. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here,” Mensik had told ATP. Hailing from Prostejov, Mensik started playing tennis when he was 4, fascinated by the action he saw unfolding in the tennis courts in front of his house. After beating Andy Murray in the round of 16 at 2024 Qatar Open, Mensik revealed how Djokovic invited him to train under his mentorship.

“It was after 2022 Australian Open finals. He knew that he was my biggest idol, so he invited me to Belgrade and then after to Montenegro to spend some days with him practising, you know, doing all the stuff off the court also,” Mensik was quoted as saying by express.co.uk after his win against Murray. “It’s really nice that one of the best players in history invited me and I had that opportunity to play against him, to practice with him. So all of these experiences and advice for the future and for matches are just really good. It’s not just because he gave me some advice like ‘you have to do like this, you have to do like this.’ It’s just trying to put all these little things in my game and in my career.”

Jakub ‌Mensik, the 20-year-old Czech Republic star, who upset Jannik Sinner at Qatar Open. (File photo from AP)

The Czech star, who boasts of strong groundstrokes from the baseline, said that his favourite shot in the game is still the serve. And it was evident against Sinner, as he won an impressive 82% (49/60) of points behind his first serve. One of the many highlights of the match was also the precision of his double-handed backhand that put Sinner under pressure.

“I think a good backhand is a Czech school thing,” Mensik, who also acknowledges big-serving compatriot Thomas Berdych as an inspiration, had told ATP. “When there are pressure situations, say at 30/30, I trust some shots more and that is then more visible. I might hit that backhand down the line at 30/40. I have always been comfortable with my backhand from a very young age.”

In his acceptance speech after beating Djokovic in Miami last year, Mensik reiterated Djokovic’s role in his rise. “You are the greatest of all time,” the youngster gushed. “The first of many titles, I am sure,” Djokovic had said, before adding something that Mensik – visibly emotional – can remember for the rest of his career. “It hurts me to admit it, but you were better than me in clutch moments. Unbelievable serving. Just a phenomenal effort to mentally stay tough in difficult moments, for a young player like you.”