Jakub Mensik

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[DUN I LOVE]

Czarna lista, Kubku.

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[Damian]

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In other #NextGenATP action, Czech Jakub Mensik downed German Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 7-6(3) after closing the two-hour, one-minute encounter on his fourth match point.

“It was a pretty tough match from the beginning. I knew before the match that he is a very tough opponent. I played him two years ago at a Challenger in Bratislava and lost, but I know that some time has passed and now I am different,” said Mensik, who is second in the PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah.

“It was especially tough for me because I didn’t play for a while. My last tournament on a clay court was nine months ago and also the last match in general was in Miami. So after one month it is a very good victory and I think everything here is good for me, because the clay court is super fast. With the altitude here, it is crazy how the ball flies during the serve motion or during the point. I think that is better for me.”

The 18-year-old, who reached the Doha final, will next meet ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/fonseca ... 4-thursday

[Damian]

#NextGenATP stars feel Nadal’s presence in Madrid: ‘This guy is like a god’

Spoiler:

Fonseca, Mensik talk sharing locker room with Spanish great
April 26, 2024
Rafael Nadal salutes the crowd after beating Darwin Blanch on Thursday in Madrid.Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Rafael Nadal salutes the crowd after beating Darwin Blanch on Thursday in Madrid.
By Andy West
For many ATP Tour players, Rafael Nadal’s return to action this month has simply been a return to a long-held status quo. Such has been the longevity of the Spaniard’s career that several generations of stars have become accustomed to being around Nadal as he racks up wins, trophies and plaudits.

Yet sharing a locker room with the 92-time tour-level titlist at this year’s Mutua Madrid Open has been a novel experience for the current batch of #NextGenATP talent. When Nadal was forced to begin a near year-long break from competition in January 2023, many were either not playing at tour-level… or even out of school.

“It’s crazy,” 17-year-old Joao Fonseca told ATPTour.com. “First day here I was talking to my coach, and [Nadal] appeared in the gym. Then you can see that everybody looks at him like, ‘Oh man, this guy is like a god’, something like that.”


Fonseca has enjoyed some standout moments so far in 2024, the latest of which came on Thursday when he claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 victory. When he was born in 2006, Nadal had already won two of his 22 Grand Slam titles. Fonseca may not remember many of the Spaniard’s greatest triumphs, but the Brazilian can feel the scale of his career just by stepping onto the tournament site at the Caja Magica.

“You can see in the face of everybody that they respect Nadal,” he said. “He’s just an idol for everyone and it’s super special to be in the same environment as him.”

#NextGenATP alumnus Hamad Medjedovic shares that sentiment. The 20-year-old Serbian notched his first win at Masters 1000 level on Thursday by beating Aleksandar Kovacevic, shortly after Nadal had raced past 16-year-old Darwin Blanch in his own first-round match.

“Two days ago, when the schedule came out for today, I saw him in the same schedule as me and I was pretty shocked,” said Medjedovic, the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion. “It’s Rafa, he’s a legend of our sport, one of the greatest players that ever held a racquet. Seeing him walking past me in the locker room, it’s a pretty special feeling.”

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A generation that grew up watching many of Nadal’s later battles with his great ‘Big 3’ rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic was always going to be inspired by the return to action of the 37-year-old, even if this does prove to be his last season on Tour.

“Rafa is one of the biggest icons in tennis and in sport in general,” said 18-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik. “When I was young, I watched him on television, and he had already won like 15 Grand Slams. After that, because of these guys like Rafa, and Nole, and Roger, I started to play tennis.

“Right now, when I see him still competing and still in good form, when I see these guys around, it’s super exciting. To see these guys around and to have the opportunity to do things with them on the Tour.”

You May Also Like: #NextGenATP Fonseca wins first Masters 1000 match in Madrid, Mensik also advances
Meanwhile, Blanch’s up-close-and-personal experience with Nadal in Madrid reached a different level. Although the American felt he had not produced his best level as the home favourite rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 victory inside a packed Manolo Santana Stadium, the teen was quickly able to put things in perspective.

“Obviously it was a really, really good experience,” said Blanch. “I was really happy to be able to play Nadal in a stadium like this, so, I'm going to try to take the most of it.

“Honestly, a lot of kids my age don't really get to experience that, with all those people around. So it definitely felt really nice being able to experience that.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/fonseca ... n-on-nadal

[Damian]

[Damian]

Mensik upsets Dimitrov for second Top 10 win of season

Spoiler:

Fast-rising Czech will meet Auger-Aliassime in third round
April 27, 2024
Jakub Mensik advances to the third round in his first clay-court event.Corinne Dubreuil
Jakub Mensik advances to the third round in his first clay-court event.
By ATP Staff
Playing in his first tour-level clay-court event, #NextGenATP Czech Jakub Mensik scored a stunning upset against Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday at the Mutua Madrid Open. The 18-year-old used a powerful and fearless finish to wrap up a 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3 win and improve to 2-2 against opponents in the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings.

Having beaten Andrey Rublev en route to his first tour-level final in Doha in February, Mensik is now through to the third round in Madrid. Outside the Top 300 of the PIF ATP Rankings this time last year, he is now up to No. 65 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, setting himself up for a new career high.

"Right now I cannot describe it. I'm just speechless," said Mensik, whose parents were in the crowd. "I just wanted to play my best game ever. I know that Grigor is in super-good form, he showed in Miami, in Monte-Carlo he played good. His game style on the clay court [makes him] a really tough opponent.

"I'm super happy with me and also with my team, that we worked really hard. Another 'W', so hopefully I will continue next match."

By reaching the third round, Mensik also moved to within 11 points of Arthur Fils for first place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Bidding to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, the Czech can pass the Frenchman by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in his next match. The Canadian advanced to the third round with a Saturday evening upset of his own: a 6-0, 6-4 victory against 19th seed Adrian Mannarino.

Mensik rattled off five straight games from 1-2 to secure the opening set against the ninth-seeded Dimitrov, then fought off three set points late in set two before falling in a tie-break. After a trade of breaks early in the deciding set, Mensik won four of the final five games to seal the statement win.

"Third set I just wanted to play my best performance and it happened, so I'm really happy," said Mensik, who saved seven of eight break points against him according to Infosys ATP Stats.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/mensik- ... 4-saturday

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[Art]

ATP Madryt 24 R2:

64 Dušan Lajović 811
65 Jakub Menšík 809
66 Christopher O'Connell 807

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[Lucas]