Rising star reveals how Novak Djokovic helped him – ‘I first thought it was a hoax, but it was really him’
Jakub Mensik and his coach Tomas Josefus have shed light on how tennis icon Novak Djokovic helped the rising ATP star earlier in his career.
The pair revealed that Djokovic invited Mensik to train with him and openly shared his “knowledge and contacts” with the 18-year-old.
Mensik has signalled his status as one of the brightest talents in the men’s game in 2024 by rapidly climbing from a ranking of 167 at the start of the year to a career-high spot of 69 this month.
The Czech, who is currently ranked 74th, holds an impressive 10-5 record in the main draw of ATP Tour events this year.
Mensik reached the third round of the ongoing 2024 Madrid Open after wins over Jannick Hanfmann and Grigor Dimitrov, before being forced to retire against Felix Auger-Aliassime. He has climbed to 65th in the live ATP Rankings.
READ MORE: What is the Next Gen Accelerator Programme behind the rise of Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca?
In an interview with L’Equipe, Josefus, who coaches Mensik, divulged how Djokovic contacted the Czech out of the blue in February 2022.
“We were taking stock when Jakub received a video on his phone from a Serbian number that he didn’t know. He did not hesitate to share his knowledge and contacts. We had closed doors in front of us, Novak opened them,” explained the coach.
Mensik shared his recollection of the story and admitted he initially doubted that the message was actually from Djokovic.
“I first thought it was a hoax, but it was really him. Novak is my childhood idol, you can imagine my joy,” said Mensik during the same interview.
“Weight, lunch, recovery… Everything he did, I did. I understood a lot of things there. I observed him, I tried to analyse his functioning, how he warms up, stretches, recovers.
“He recommended them (contacts) to us and gave us their number. Many things we put in place were thanks to him.”
The teenager also discussed his experience of practising with Djokovic for the second time prior to the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
“It was before Wimbledon, so I was able to observe his his specific preparation for a Grand Slam, all the little details of everyday life,” Mensik added.
On the back of Mensik’s superb start to the season, the ATP released an “It’s time to get to know Jakub Mensik” video in February.
Asked about his dream match-up, the Czech replied: “It will be Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open, for sure. Of course [I would win].”
The 18-year-old added: “My tennis inspiration is Novak Djokovic. Because of him, I started to play tennis. He is my biggest idol. Because of him, [or] I wouldn’t be here.”
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