Miami Gardens, Fla. – Novak Djokovic faced a series of obstacles in the Miami Open final on Sunday: more than 5 1/2 hours before the start of the game, and more than 5 1/2 hours delayed due to high humidity after the rain.
But the biggest obstacle is the six-foot-four-year-old phenomenon of Jakub Mensik’s youth and strength, who ruled out the game among two stealers as 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) among two strikers to win his first ATP title.
The teenager of the Czech Republic ranked 54th and entered the race and sent out Djokovic at calm and 130 mph. He collected 14 A’s and was broken only once. Mensik beat a service winner at the match point and landed on his back.
“I was my idol when you were a kid,” Messik told Djokovic at a ceremony after the game, lasting for two hours and three minutes.
Mensik’s victory ruined Djokovic’s party, who is seeking his 100th professional title and has won his seventh record at the Miami Open. Djokovic will have to wait as the teenagers prepare to join the elite.
“It was a joyous moment for him and his family – first and foremost an incredible game. In the clutch moment, you delivered the goods. It’s a great feature for young players like you.”
Djokovic, who hasn’t played here since 2019, has gone to great lengths. Despite the huge delay, more than three-quarters of fans were stuck, chanting “no-vak!” and singing in key parts of the game.
Djokovic, who was not a fan favorite early in his career, paid tribute to fans, saying it was one of the warmest crowds he has ever had.
However, the male leader, who has 24 Grand Slam titles, appears to have damaged the redness of his eyes due to his eye problems. In the first group, Djokovic applied eye drops in two conversions. It is unclear whether it affected his vision.
In the scene, he also glided twice on the court. After a few hours of rain, the humidity reached 90%. Sweat a lot, Djokovic asked the referee to sprinkle a barrel of wood chips on his wet grab.
Mensik lost to Djokovic in a three-pointer in the Shanghai Masters last October, but the young man said before the game that his game was too nervous.
Mensik competed in his first ATP 1000 final. Djokovic was less than two years old when he won his first Miami Open title in 2007.
This time there is more fearlessness than Shanghai. Mensik led 3-0 at an early break, but Djokovic beat 4-3 before ranking 4-4 after fans shouted his name.
Mensik led 6-5 in a game, which left Djokovic hitting a blow in a doubles alley and chasing a shot. Mensik served with his Seventh Royal Academy.
In the first set, Mensik led 5-0. Mensik executed a jumping backhand shooter championship, and Djokovic gradually disappeared from his front hand and lost the ball to the backhand, trailing 5-0. At the set point, Mensik beat the winner overhead smash.
The game was scheduled to be held at 3 p.m., but due to rain, the players didn’t get on the court until 8:37 p.m., and the organizers decided to finish the women’s doubles final.
The rainfall in South Florida began at 12:50 p.m., which eventually brought Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider to a 3-0 lead in the first set.
After the rain stopped, the women’s players returned to the court at 5:30 pm, and the court was prepared by dry machinery. But the rain only started a few minutes later, before the warm-up and umbrella players left the court again.
An hour later, the women resumed the court at 6:50 pm, and Andreeva and Schnaider walked a distance and won 6-3, 6-7 (5), 10-2 in the third set.
