On the morning of March 31, Jakub Mensik faced Novak Djokovic in the 2025 Miami Open final. The match took place 5 hours later than expected due to heavy rain.
The Czech tennis player played hard and defeated Novak Djokovic with a score of 7-6(4), 7-6(4) to win the championship. The 19-year-old also became the second youngest champion in the history of the tournament after Carlos Alcaraz, who won in 2022 at the age of 18.
"I really don't know what to say. It was a great feeling," Mensik said in an interview on the pitch.
"This is probably the best day of my life and I did very well, what I was really happy about, I played without the stress before I entered this match. I feel extremely happy".
Djokovic also sent his congratulations to his junior: "This is a moment that belongs to Jakub, I am happy for him and his family. This is a great tournament and perhaps it will be the first time we have won the championship in many years to come. I was heartbroken to admit this, but he played better. In key moments, Jakub showed his full potential."
The tennis player born in 2005 prevented the Serbian legend from winning his 100th career title. Thereby, he became the first Czech tennis player to win the ATP Masters 1000 since Thomas Berdych won the Paris Open in 2005.
This was only just Mensik's second ATP Tour final, but he showed impressive courage. According to Infosys ATP Stats, Djokovic has the best tie-break win percentage in history (nearly 66%). But the 19-year-old is calmer than his opponent, winning both tie-break series.
With this victory, Mensik will climb to a career high of 24th place in the world rankings, surpassing Jiri Lehecka to become the second highest-ranked Czech tennis player, after Tomas Machac (ranked 21). Just two years ago, Mensik was the world No. 390.
