Isner on Mensik's Triumph in Miami: "He Showed a Rare Serenity for a Player of His Age"
This weekend, Jakub Mensik won the first title of his career on the day of his second final. At the Miami Masters 1000, the young Czech player, 19, completed his remarkable journey by defeating his idol, Novak Djokovic, in two sets (7-6, 7-6). In doing so, he denied the Serbian his 100th career title.
Solid throughout the tournament, Mensik previously defeated Bautista Agut, Draper (freshly crowned at Indian Wells), Safiullin, Machac (by forfeit), Fils, and Fritz. In the Nothing Major Podcast, John Isner, who won this tournament in 2018 and was a finalist the following year, expressed his amazement at Mensik's performance, now ranked 24th in the world as of Monday.
"Mensik produced an incredible performance; it's his first title in a Masters 1000. It's very impressive. He started his campaign by winning his first round and then eliminating the Indian Wells champion, Jack Draper, in two sets.
It seems Draper came super prepared and ready to compete in Miami, and Mensik managed to beat him and from there, he was very, very solid. He remained undefeated in tiebreaks, defeating Taylor Fritz 7-6 in the third set of the semifinals, then dominating the best player of all time in two sets by winning both decisive games in the final. He showed a rare serenity for a player of his age.
Mensik was unflappable. Fonseca, another young player, was making headlines with his recent performances. Few were talking about Mensik, but he quietly continued his work on the side.
He found himself in the semifinals, and one might have thought Taylor was going to beat him and that the final would oppose Fritz and Djokovic. But no, he won that match 7-6 in the third and took the final. It's really impressive. He has an enormous game.
It's crazy to think he's only 19 and that he's a super physical, strong kid, and the best is yet to come for him. He has a bright future ahead of him; he's now going to be on everyone's radar and won't go unnoticed by anyone anymore," Isner said in recent hours.
