Jakub Mensik is living a tennis fairytale at the Shanghai Masters, and it’s about to reach new heights as he prepares to face his idol, Novak Djokovic, in the quarter-finals. The 19-year-old Czech has blazed through the tournament, securing a place in his first ATP 1000 quarter-final with impressive wins over top players like sixth seed Andrey Rublev and ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov. His victory over Dimitrov marked his fourth career win against a top-10 opponent, placing him among tennis’ elite teenagers like Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Lleyton Hewitt.
Now ranked at a career-high No. 54, Mensik expressed his excitement at facing Djokovic, who reached the last eight after a straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin. “Exciting is really a small word,” Mensik said. “Because of him, I started to play tennis… And right now, when I’m 19 and he’s still playing, I have this chance to play against him.”
This match also has an emotional backstory: Djokovic has long been a mentor to Mensik. The young star revealed that Djokovic surprised him in 2022 with an unexpected phone call, offering advice on everything from fitness to recovery routines. “Novak is my childhood idol… Weight, lunch, recovery… Everything he did, I did,” Mensik said, calling Djokovic’s guidance instrumental in his development.
As he heads into this dream match, Mensik is looking forward to testing his skills against one of the sport’s legends, knowing that win or lose, this is just the beginning of his tennis journey. Meanwhile, Djokovic praised Mensik’s progress, saying, “I always thought he had potential.”
For fans, Friday’s clash is set to be a special one, as a rising star meets his idol on one of tennis’ biggest stages.
