Jakub Mensik reacts to what Novak Djokovic did after losing the Miami Open final

When it comes to Novak Djokovic, he’s been there and done it all in professional tennis, yet he remains without a win since the Olympics following defeat to Jakub Mensik.

The Czech 19-year-old stunned the Miami Open crowd by beating Djokovic in straight sets to claim the biggest title of his short career.

It proved a frustrating day for both players with storms, high winds and rain descending on Miami to threaten the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event.

In the end, it was the student who beat the teacher, with Mensik running out two tie-breaker sets to win 7-6, 7-6 and get his hands on the prize.

Djokovic has won every prize the game has to offer, but the Olympic gold he claimed last August remains the last time he’s won an event.

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Jakub Mensik reacts to what Novak Djokovic did after losing the Miami Open final

The talented teenager should now have the belief to go on and collect other titles in his career but the classy Djokovic deserves credit.

He played his part in an entertaining final and after the match he showed his professionalism by offering his opponent a warm embrace and some kind words.

Mensik was full of praise for the legendary tennis figure after showing him a glimpse of the sport’s future and was thankful for his reaction.

He told the Tennis Channel: “To be honest, it just shows how incredible of a person he is. Even if he is winning or losing, he had a champion’s mentality, which is saying that he is really one of the best athletes of all time in all of the sports and showing off the court and on the court how he is acting, it’s just amazing.

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“Of course, to hear those nice things after all my career, I am just in the beginning but I am already playing for 14 years. So 14 years of trying and the work and dreaming to play these big tournaments and after all, your teacher is saying those kind words, it is just showing that I am on a good path.”

Mensik shares crazy Miami Open story after winning the title

It’s quite remarkable that Mensik has won in Miami, given that he very nearly didn’t play in the tournament at all.

Prior to the event, the Czech player had been struggling with a knee problem and was set to withdraw.

However, the tournament referee being away from his office for lunch ultimately saw him remain in the tournament, and the rest is history, as they say.

He said: “It’s crazy, two days before the first match, I was struggling with my knee, it was very inflamed and I couldn’t step on the treadmill to run.

“One hour before the match, I was on the painkillers, nothing was working, and I thought, why should I play if I couldn’t even walk.

“I came to the office with the physio paper in my hand – maybe my coach has it somewhere still – and we were going to the referee’s office to pull out, but actually he was having lunch so we were lucky.

“We came back to the physio office, did a little treatment out there, gave it a last chance and it was starting to improve. I won the first match, had one day off, and my knee started to get better.

“With this story it feels even more incredible!”

Mensik will now harness the belief that he can compete against the game’s top players and it’s exciting to see what the new world number 24 can achieve in 2025 and beyond.

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