Mensik’s journey through the tennis ranks has been quite remarkable, starting from his breakthrough into the top 100 this past February after making it to the Qatar Open final. His run in Miami was nothing short of spectacular, where he triumphed over three top-10 players—Djokovic, Britain’s Draper, and America’s own Fritz—to clinch the biggest title of his young career. Mensik managed to stay cool under the pressure of such a significant win.
The final was set back by nearly five and a half hours due to rain, which made finding a groove a challenge. Yet, Mensik adapted faster than Djokovic. Seizing his first chance, Mensik broke Djokovic immediately and served with precision, quickly pulling ahead to a 4-1 lead.
Djokovic, on the other hand, stumbled at the start. He slipped twice, dealt with some swelling under his right eye that required eye drops, and even resorted to using sawdust for a better grip in the muggy conditions. As the set went on, his serve found its rhythm, and his backhand slice began to unsettle Mensik, who eventually lost his break advantage.
A tie-break seemed inevitable, and despite a rough start from Djokovic, which saw him battling back from two set points, Mensik powered through to take the first set.
This match echoed their previous encounter in Shanghai last year, where Mensik grabbed the first set in a tie-break but lost stamina in the subsequent ones. This time, however, Mensik maintained his intensity. Not facing a single break point in the second set, he capitalized on Djokovic’s struggle with the heat and humidity.
Breathing heavily and frequently toweling off, Djokovic could only watch as Mensik delivered three impressive serves that forced another tie-break. In his frustration after losing the first point of the tie-break, Djokovic even struck his thigh with his racquet.
Djokovic dominated the shorter points, but Mensik proved his mettle in the longer rallies, constantly pushing Djokovic around the court, which eventually led to three match points for Mensik. Djokovic displayed brilliance by nailing a return on the baseline during the first match point, but Mensik sealed the victory with a powerful serve out wide on the second attempt.
With this victory, Mensik will soar to a career-high ranking of 24th in the world. As for Djokovic, the quest for his first ATP title since 2023 continues. However, improvements in his serve, credited to working with coach Andy Murray, offer a silver lining.
