Mensik prevents Djokovic from his 100th title, wins Miami Open

Novak Djokovic faced a series of obstacles in the Miami Open final a delay of more than 5 12 hours before the match an eye infection and a slippery court due to high levels of humidity following the rainBut the largest roadblock was the youth and power of 6foot4 19yearold phenom Jakub Mensik who outdueled the 37yearold Serbian 76 4 76 4 to win his first ATP titleRanked 54th entering the tournament the Czech Republic teenager plowed through Djokovic with poise and a stellar 130 mph serve He collected 14 aces and got broken only once Mensik bashed a service winner on match point and fell on his backYoure the one I idolized when I was young Mensik said to Djokovic during the ceremony after the match that lasted 2 hours 3 minutes I started playing tennis because of youMensiks victory spoiled the party for Djokovic who was seeking his 100th career title and a record seventh in the Miami Open Djokovic will have to wait while the teenager looks ready to join the eliteThis is a joyous moment for him and his family an unbelievable tournament first of many Djokovic saidIt hurts me to admit it you were better In the clutch moments you delivered the goods For a young player like yourself this is a great featureThe crowd pulled hard for Djokovic who hadnt played here since 2019 More than threequarters of the fans stuck around despite the massive delay chanting iquestNovak and singing his name across critical parts of the matchDjokovic far from a fan favorite here earlier in his career saluted the fans saying it was one of the warmest crowds hes had everAlso ReadIPL 2025 Rajasthan Royals fielding is what truly got them across the line WilliamsonBut the mens leader with 24 Grand Slam titles seemed compromised by his eye issue with redness seen under the eyelid Djokovic applied eyedrops during two changeovers in the first set It was unclear if it affected his visionAfterward Djokovic said he really prefers not to talk about his eye but said I didnt feel my greatest on the courtDjokovic called it a weird dayIts the same for both players he added You have to accept the circumstances I tried to make the most out of what I had or was facing but yeah it was quite different from any other day of the tournament for meDuring the set he also slipped twice on the court The humidity reached 9037 after hours of rain disrupted the card Sweating profusely Djokovic asked the umpire for a bucket of sawdust to sprinkle on his wet gripMensik had lost to Djokovic in a threesetter last October at the Shanghai Masters but the youngster said before the match he had played too nervouslyMensik was playing his first ATP 1000 final He was not quite 2 years old when Djokovic won his first Miami Open title in 2007Djokovic knew Mensiks potential after inviting him to his camp in Belgrade to train when the prodigy was 16He has the complete game His serve is incredible powerful precise Djokovic saidThere was more fearlessness this time than in Shanghai Mensik got up 30 with an early break but Djokovic broke back at 43 then held for 44 after fans chanted his nameMensik held for a 65 lead in a game that saw Djokovic take a tumble in the doubles alley chasing a drop shot Mensik served it out with his seventh aceIn the firstset tiebreak Mensik charged ahead 50 Mensik executed a leaping backhand volley winner and Djokovic muffed a routine forehand drop shot into the net to fall behind 50 On set point Mensik slugged an overhead smash for a winnerThe match was scheduled for 3 pm but the players didnt take the court until 837 pm due to rain and organizers deciding on completing the womens doubles finalThe South Florida rain began at 1250 pm during the womens doubles final pitting Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider against Cristina Bucsa and Miyu Kato with Andreeva and Shnaider leading 30 in the first setThe womens players returned to the court at 530 pm after the rain stopped and the courts were readied by courtdrying machinery But rain began minutes later before warmups and the umbrellatoting players left the court againThe women returned to the court an hour later and resumed play at 650 pm Andreeva and Schnaider went the distance prevailing in a thirdset match tiebreaker 63 67 5 102This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever