Miami Gardens, Florida (AP) – Novak Djokovic faced a series of obstacles on Sunday in the Miami Open final: a period of more than 5 1/2 hours before the match, an eye infection and a sliding court due to high humidity levels after the rain.
But the largest roadblock was the youth and the power of the phenomenon of 6 feet 4 inches, 19, Jakub Mensik, who exceeded the Serbian 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 37 years old, to win his first ATP title.
Classified 54th in the tournament, the teenager of the Czech Republic traveled Djokovic with a balance and a stellar service of 130 MPH. He collected 14 AS and broke once. Mensik denounced a service winner at the match point and fell on his back.
“You are the one I idolized when I was young,” Mensik told Djokovic at the ceremony after the match that lasted 2 hours, 3 minutes. “I started playing tennis because of you.”
Mensik’s victory has spoiled the party for Djokovic, who was looking for his 100th career title and a seventh record in Miami Open. Djokovic will have to wait, while the teenager looks ready to join the elite.
“It’s a joyful moment for him and his family – an incredible tournament, first of all,” said Djokovic. “It hurts to admit it, you were better. In the clutch moments, you have delivered the goods. For a young player like you, it is an excellent characteristic. ”
The crowd fired hard for Djokovic, who had not played here since 2019. More than three-quarters of the fans remained despite the massive delay, singing “No-Vak!” And sing its name through critical games of the match.
Djokovic, far from a favorite of fans here earlier in his career, praised the fans, saying that it was one of the warmest crowds he ever had.
But the leader of men with 24 Grand Slam titles seemed compromised by his eye problem, with redness seen under the eyelid. Djokovic applied grooves for two changes in the first set. It was not clear if it had affected his vision.
Subsequently, Djokovic said that he “really prefers not to talk” about his eye, but said: “I did not feel my best on the ground”.
Djokovic called him “a strange day”.
“It’s the same for both players,” he added. “You must accept the circumstances. I tried to get the most out of what I had or faced, but, yes, it was very different from any other day of the tournament for me.”
During the tray, he also slipped twice on the ground. The humidity has reached 90% after hours of rain disturbed the card. Profiring profusely, Djokovic asked the referee a sawdust bucket to sprinkle on her damp handle.
Mensik had lost against Djokovic in a three sets last October at Shanghai Masters, but the young person said before the match he had played too nervously.
Mensik played his first ATP 1000 final. He was not entirely 2 years when Djokovic won his first Miami open title in 2007.
Djokovic knew the potential of Mensik after inviting him to his camp in Belgrade to train when the prodigy was 16 years old.
“He has the full game. His service is incredible, powerful, precise,” said Djokovic.
There was more intrepidity this time in Shanghai. Mensik got up 3-0 with an early break, but Djokovic broke at 4-3, then held 4-4 after the fans sang his name.
Mensik held for an advance of 6-5 in a match that saw Djokovic take a fall in the duplicate alley to hunt a drop shot. Mensik served it with its seventh AS.
During the equality break in the first set, Mensik loaded 5-0 in advance. Mensik executed a flying lamp winner and Djokovic stifled a routine’s right shot in the net to delay 5-0. On the point of adjustment, Mensik struck a smash above for a winner.
The match was scheduled for 3 p.m., but the players did not take the field before 8:37 p.m. due to the rain and the organizers decided to finish the final of the female double.
The rain in southern Florida started at 12:50 p.m. in the end of the end of women Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider against Cristina Bucsa and Miyu Kato, with Andreeva and Shnaider leading 3-0 in the first set.
The players returned to court at 5.30 p.m. after the rain stopped and the courts were prepared by drying machines. But the rain started a few minutes later before heating and players who turn the umbrellas leave the field.
The women returned to court an hour later and resumed the game at 6:50 pm thatreeva and Schnaider made the distance, dominating in an equality of equality of match of third set 6-3, 6-7 (5), 10-2.
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This story has corrected Mensik’s spelling. A previous version said Mensuk.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
