Jakub Mensik has become only the second player in history to beat Novak Djokovic in a Miami Open final.
Mensik beat Djokovic in two tie-break sets, with the Czech teenager winning the biggest title of his career in Miami.
He is only the second player in history to beat the Serbian in a Miami Open final, with Djokovic’s coach Andy Murray the other.
After beating Djokovic for the first time, Mensik has shown his promise that many people have previously spoken about.
What Jakub Mensik noticed about Novak Djokovic in the Miami Open final
After Mensik beat Djokovic, 7-6(4) 7-6(4), he headed to the Tennis Channel desk to speak about his Miami Open victory.
When asked about what the key to his win over Djokovic was, Mensik explained that he was trying to stay calm, but admitted that he struggled.
“The key was probably just to stay calm, which I was not!” said Mensik. “But I tried my best, at least.
“To prepare as best as I can, I think it was a little bit better for me because when I compare playing here during the night and during the day for me it is probably a bit better to play during the night. When we stepped onto the court it was night already. I was a little bit more happy with those circumstances.”
The Miami Open final was supposed to start at 3pm local time, but due to heavy rainfall did not get underway until 8:45pm.
When probed about why night matches are preferential to him, Mensik revealed that he could tell Djokovic was struggling with the conditions.
“I don’t know why night is like that. Maybe the ball is flying a little bit more,” explained Mensik. “Of course, because of the rain, it was a little bit humid which was crazy today.
“I was feeling already in the second set little cramps but when I look at Novak he was struggling as well. So it was the longer I played I felt better.
“Of course Novak has a lot of good times on the court, sometimes he was struggling a bit as well. But in the end it is part of the game and I am just happy that I showed my best performance in the tie breaks.”
During his run to the Miami Open title, Mensik played three of his six matches later on in the evening.
Jakub Mensik makes history with Miami Open triumph
Not only were the conditions preferential to Mensik, but also his serving in clutch moments helped him on his way to achieving an ATP record.
After winning seven tie-breaks on his route to the Miami Open victory, Mensik has become the first player in history to do this at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
Only John Isner, who has hit the most aces in history with 14,470, has matched Mensik’s feat at any other ATP tournament.
Mensik’s serve was firing once again in the Miami Open final, hitting 14 aces past Djokovic.
As a result, the 19-year-old has risen to a career-high ranking of world number 24 and will now be seeded for Grand Slam tournaments.
However, as Mensik entered his next tournament, the Monte Carlo Masters, before his ranking rise he is currently only entered to play qualifying as the seventh alternate to enter the main draw.
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