Jakub Mensik will not compete at next week's Monte Carlo Masters. As was expected, the young Czech will take another week off the court after lifting his first ATPcrown in Miami. Mensik will kick off the clay swing at the ATP 500 event in Munich.
Jakub ousted six rivals in Florida and celebrated his first Masters 1000 title.At 19 years and six months, hebecame the fifth-youngest Masters 1000 champion after Michael Chang, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune.
The Czech returned home to Prostejov and decided to skip Monte Carlo and recover his energy ahead of the new challenges. Mensik entered the Miami Open ranked 54th. He almost withdrew from the event due to physical issue.
Luckily for him, a teenager changed his mind and started the campaign. Jakub beat Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round and ousted the Indian Wells champion, Jak Draper, in the second. Roman Safiullin fell in the third set, and Tomas Machac gave him a walkover in the next one.
Thus, the 19-year-old moved into the quarter-final. Jakub beat Arthur Fils in the last eight and arranged the duel against the home favorite Taylor Fritz. Mensik prevailed7-6, 4-6, 7-6, losing serve once but clinching the crucial points to book his place in the title clash.
Jakub faced his idol Novak Djokovic in the final and prevailed 7-6, 7-6 in two hours and three minutes for a career-best moment. A teenager prevailed over the veteran in the pivotal moments, keeping his composure and denying Novak's 100th ATP title.
It was a tight battle, with only two breaks in the opening set. Mensik led 3-0 after making a perfect start. Djokovic erased the deficit in the seventh game and reached a tie break. However, the young gun forged an early advantage and brought it home for a massive boost.
The Czech served well in the second set and kept the pressure on the other side. Novak denied two break points in the fifth game and extended his chances. However, the 19-year-old took charge in the second tie break to bring the victory home and lift a notable trophy.
Alongside world no. 1 Jannik Sinner, Jakub is the second player to withdraw from Monte Carlo. The Czech would have needed a wild card to enter the main draw, and he decided to save it for some other player.
