ATP youngster claims he is very similar to Jannik Sinner as a player but he can’t be like Carlos Alcaraz

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The 2024 ATP Tour season has concluded, but the rising stars are now looking to impress at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Jannik Sinner won the ATP Finals in Turin last month, with Jeddah now playing host to the 20-and-under tournament.

Taylor Fritz lost to Sinner in the ATP Finals, with the latter having won the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals, two years before Carlos Alcaraz lifted the trophy.

Sinner is now training in Dubai ahead of the 2025 season, but all eyes will be on the top eight talents of the future generation.

Leading the way for qualification was Arthur Fils, with Alex Michelsen, Jakub Mensik and Juncheng Shang completing the top four.

Jakub Mensik makes Jannik Sinner comparison ahead of Next Gen ATP Finals

The action gets underway in Saudi Arabia later this week, with Czech ace Mensik telling the ATP Tour website which former champion of the event he most identifies with.

“The new generation is coming,” said Mensik. “With Sinner, Alcaraz and all of these young players, when I was practising or trying to reach the ATP Tour, I saw they reached the level and it helps to see that.

“The game is always moving on and all the former Next Gen players, me and the other younger players are bringing something new.

READ MORE: Jakub Mensik reacts as his tennis season comes to an end and he confirms his big aim for 2025

“I like Sinner. A tall player like me and he is still moving so well. It is similar to me in my opinion because I’m already tall and I can move well on the court.

“With the forehand, I have a similar technique and style to Jannik. I can’t be like Alcaraz because he’s smaller and stronger. I’m the guy who is skinnier.

“When you see a lot of tall guys now, they have a big serve and big weapons. My serve is also a very big weapon.”

Jakub Mensik picks his favourite from the Big Three

Mensik has enjoyed a rapid rise in recent times, with the 19-year-old already occupying 48th place in the ATP Tour rankings.

He has a 25-17 win-loss record for 2024, and enjoyed superb runs at various competitions, such as in Doha and Shanghai.

At the former, Mensik overcame the likes of Andy Murray, Andrey Rublev and Gael Monfils before losing the final to Karen Khachanov.

And at the latter, the Czech ace beat Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov before a quarter-final loss to Novak Djokovic.

And he has now revealed his adoration for the Serbian, with Mensik naming Djokovic among his biggest other influences.

READ MORE: Revisiting the match where 15-year-old Carlos Alcaraz took on a teenaged Jannik Sinner

“In my hometown, Tomas Berdych was practising all the time and when I started to play tennis, he was at his best level, so I started because of him,” he said.

“I watched him when I was at home. Then we had the Big 3 at the time and my favourite was Novak. He is my idol.”