Jakub Mensik

[DUN I LOVE]

Najmłodszy grajek w Top-50. Będzie szedł wyżej 19-latek.

[Damian]

[Art]

AO25: pierwszy raz w R3 Australian Open.

Jakub Mensik d. [6] Casper Ruud 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4

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[Barty]

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[Damian]

03.02.2025 r.

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 47

[Barty]

[Art]

ATP Rotterdam 25 R2:

42 Tallon Griekspoor 1230
43 Jakub Menšík 1222
44 Pedro Martínez 1205

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[Damian]

[Damian]

Pressure, what pressure? Mensik lives for the big stage

Spoiler:

Czech opens up on his first year on Tour
February 04, 2025
Jakub Mensik is making his debut in Rotterdam.
Alyssa van Heyst Photography
Jakub Mensik is making his debut in Rotterdam.
By Sam Jacot
From newcomer to a staple on the ATP Tour, Jakub Mensik has become a consistent match winner since he burst onto the scene aged 17 at the 2023 US Open.

The #NextGenATP Czech reached the third round in New York 18 months ago and has gone from strength to strength since. The 19-year-old advanced to his first tour-level title match in Doha last February and then qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. His year was recognised in the ATP Awards, with the Czech winning the 2024 Newcomer of the Year accolade.

If the start of this season is anything to go by, it is clear the Mensik train is only going one way. In January he earned quarter-final appearances in Brisbane and Auckland and enjoyed a third-round run at the Australian Open. Positioned just outside the Top 40 in the PIF ATP Rankings and with five Top 10 wins to his name, Mensik is now someone his fellow players want to avoid in the early rounds.

But will increased expectations impact results?

“Last year I played with no pressure,” Mensik told ATPTour.com in Rotterdam. “Do I feel more expectation now? Yes. But it doesn’t impact me. I feel really good on the court and I feel really great where I want to be on the Tour. I'm improving myself, my game. I feel confident. I am just enjoying playing the best players in the world at the best events.

“I learned a lot of things in my first year. I have had a lot of experiences with a year of new tournaments and travel. The first year is important because now I know what to expect from different tournaments. I can choose this year where I want to go, what feels right. I am ready for more.”

It All Adds Up

Mensik showed little sign of nerves on his tournament debut at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam on Tuesday when he beat Alexander Bublik to set a second-round meeting with World No. 8 Alex de Minaur.

It will be the second time this season the 19-year-old has faced a Top 10 star after he downed Casper Ruud at the Australian Open. Mensik was among three teenagers who scored notable victories at the hard-court major. The 18-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca upset Andrey Rublev, while Learner Tien, a 19-year-old American, defeated Daniil Medvedev.

All three players competed at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah, where Fonseca clinched the crown. Additionally, 20-year-old American Alex Michelsen advanced to the fourth round at the AO, Frenchman Arthur Fils, also 20, reached the third round, and 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy won a set against Novak Djokovic. Michelsen, Fils, and Basavareddy also participated in the 20-and-under event.

“This year of Next Gen was super strong. You could see that in Australia where a lot of us played really well and had very good runs,” Mensik said on the 2024 Jeddah field. "I'm glad that I could meet the guys more because we didn't have that many opportunities to see each other at tournaments because some are playing at ATP Challengers, others playing on the ATP Tour. I knew them through juniors but I hadn’t seen many of them for a few years. So we came back and it was nice to compete against each other again and to spend time as friends. It was really good.”

Media day at <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... view'>Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF</a>.
The 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF lineup. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Standing at 6’4”, Mensik is all power. The Czech possesses a heavy forehand and a thunderous serve, while he is also one of the cleanest ballstrikers on Tour.

However, at such a young age, there is still plenty of room for growth. At the US Open in September, Mensik squandered three match points against Nuno Borges in the fourth set and went on to lose after struggling physically in the fifth during the third-round clash. In Melbourne last month, the Czech led Alejandro Davidovich Fokina by two sets to love and had two match points but was ultimately unable to close out.

Mensik is pleased to have gained the experience despite the difficulty of the defeats.

“Losing a close one in the big events is always tough because you're preparing for those matches and when you lose a tight match it is painful,” Mensik said. “But I feel when I lose, I improve the most. I try to take the best from the losses, even when they are hard. Those defeats can push me forward.

“I am glad that I have good people around me, helping with that. I was down after my loss in Australia for a few days but you have to bounce back because the Tour is moving on. The next week you have another chance. It is about continued improvement with my game, mentally and physically.”

You May Also Like: In Focus: Jakub Mensik
Mensik cut a relaxed figure as he watched sports highlights on his phone in player dining inside the Ahoy Arena following his first-round win in Rotterdam.

This time last year, you would not have been surprised to find the Czech with his head in a book. Mensik completed his final exams in Czech language, English, geography and theory of sport preparation last May, gaining important qualifications for the future. The 19-year-old enjoyed studying but is happy to no longer juggle education and tennis.

“I'm glad that I finished my studies. It is one part of my life that is done that I can tick off,” Mensik said. “I don’t know but in the future after my tennis career, I may study more. I will see as I did enjoy studying and it is good to have options.

“But I am happy at the moment that when I am not playing tennis I can chill. I have been watching a lot of Slavia Prague and the World Ice Hockey Championships.”

Mensik will hope to find the answers when he walks back onto court on Thursday against third seed and last year’s finalist De Minaur. If Menski can advance, he will have reached the quarter-finals at an ATP 500 event for the second time (Vienna).

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/mensik- ... 25-feature

[Damian]

[Damian]

10.02.2025 r.

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 45