[ad_1]
Jakub Mensik denied Novak Djokovic his 100th tour level title while demanding his own first in the Miami Open final.
The 19-year-old man won 7-6 (4) 7-6 (4) when he won his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
The Czech is now the second youngest Miami champion behind Carlos Alcaraz, who won as an 18-year-old in 2022.
The defeat has left Djokovic without a title on tour since the ATP final in 2023. His only success in 2024 came to the Olympics.
The Serb seems to be struggling with a problem under his right eye throughout the game.
Mensik said there is “no more difficult task in tennis” than beating Djokovic in the final.
He lost his only previous meeting with Djokovic in China.
“You’re the one I was idol when I was young. I started playing tennis because of you, ‘he told Djokovic.
“But of course I really felt wonderful and it’s my time, so I just tried to focus on the game like in previous rounds.”
Mensik, who beat the world number four Taylor Fritz in an earlier round in the semi-final and Indian Wells champion Jack Draper, broke the six-time Miami champion in his opening service match after the match was delayed with rain nearly six hours.
Djokovic leveled when he grabbed the only breaking point human in the match, but struggled with his return and lost the first five points of the opening set connection.
He gathered before he decreased 7-4, and although he found some rhythm from the back of the court, he could not take a lead against the human being, and the teen achieved the victory in another band in the second set.
Djokovic acknowledged that his opponent – who was his junior for 18 years – was better and congratulated him on an ‘incredible tournament’.
‘In the clutch moments you have delivered the goods [with] Incredible ministry and just a phenomenal effort spiritually to stay difficult at a difficult moment, ‘he said.
Djokovic calls it “a strange day” and said he “really doesn’t want to talk his eye”.
However, he said, “I didn’t feel my biggest on the court.”
[ad_2]
Source link
