It’s clear the issue Jakub Mensik needs to solve before he can really be a Grand Slam threat

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Jakub Mensik continues to be exposed by a certain type of player on the ATP Tour.

Mensik beat Jannik Sinner at the Qatar Open last month, and leads his head-to-head against the four-time Grand Slam champion.

The 20-year-old has already won a Masters 1000 title and after beating Sinner, many were backing Mensik to challenge Alcaraz and the Italian for major titles in the future.

However, Mensik’s loss to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at Indian Wells has exposed an issue he keeps having.

Jakub Mensik keeps struggling against the same type of player

Mensik was beaten by Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, in a match where he was clearly unwell, with reports of a virus going around Indian Wells over the past week.

While his illness is a factor in his exit from Indian Wells, Mensik losing to Davidovich Fokina is not an unfamiliar sign.

Mensik now trails his head-to-head against Davidovich Fokina 5-1, and has lost his last five matches against the Spaniard.

Davidovich Fokina is one of the best movers on tour, and this feels relevant as Mensik also struggles against another player who has this particular attribute.

That player is Alex de Minaur, who has won all five matches he has played against Mensik, including at the United Cup earlier this year.

This is becoming a real issue for Mensik that he needs to work out, especially if he wants to fulfil his potential and challenge for the biggest titles in tennis.

Mensik’s problem feels particularly concerning against De Minaur, who is one of the most consistent players on the ATP Tour and regularly reaches the latter stages of Grand Slams.

De Minaur is the only top 10 player Mensik has never beaten after playing them more than once, with Lorenzo Musetti and Taylor Fritz the only two other players who have winning head-to-heads against the Czech.

Jakub Mensik’s Grand Slam chances could be about to get worse

Mensik is one of the biggest hitters and servers on the ATP Tour, but it is clear that his game can be exposed against certain types of players.

This could get even worse for Mensik, who won the Miami Open last year and is defending 1000 ranking points at his next tournament.

If Mensik loses early at the Miami Open next week, then he could drop outside the top 24 places in the ATP rankings.

This would be relevant for Mensik’s Grand Slam chances, as players seeded between 25-32 are guaranteed to be drawn against a player ranked inside the top eight in the third round of majors, which includes De Minaur.

However, Mensik faces an issue either way, as even if he stays inside the range of 9-24 then he could face someone like Davidovich Fokina in the third round.

Mensik achieved his best Grand Slam result at the Australian Open earlier this year, but he was unable to play his fourth round match against Novak Djokovic due to injury.

After exiting Indian Wells, Mensik will now travel to Florida for the upcoming Miami Open, where the men’s main draw gets underway on Wednesday, March 18.

Mensik will be a seeded player and therefore will not play his first match in Miami until at least Friday, March 20, as he attempts to defend his title.