The 2025 Miami Open turned out to be the best tournament–by far–of Jakub Mensik’s career.
It was a tournament that almost never happened for him.
As Mensik famously told the audience during Sunday’s trophy ceremony, he was on his way to pulling out of the second Masters 1000 event of the season prior to his first-round match because of a knee injury. According to the 19-year-old, he went to the referee’s office with withdrawal papers in hand. Because the referee happened to be at lunch, however, Mensik first went to see the physio.
The rest is history.
“Two days before the first match, I started to feel my knee,” said Mensik, who went on to beat Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 7-6(4) for the first ATP title of his career. “I checked with the doctors, with everyone. There was nothing spectacular; it was just a big inflammation, which was [so] big that I couldn’t walk even–that I couldn’t run, even walk.
“I started to treat it, started to take painkillers. Nothing was helping. Actually during the match day it was the same, like it was day before. I tried to step on the treadmill. I couldn’t move. I was, like, ‘Okay, well, that’s it. I’m pulling out.’ I was visiting the referees office to say, ‘Guys, I’m pulling out.’ But he was having lunch. So, okay, let’s visit the physios first. I was there. I said, ‘Hey, my knee is hurting.’ He started to do a couple of treatments, take care of me for 30 minutes. ‘Okay, try this, try this, let’s see.’ Actually he was [telling] me, ‘It’s nothing serious. You can play with this pain and nothing [will] happen.’
“The pain was so big that I couldn’t do anything. I was, like, ‘Okay, let’s try one more time.’ I stepped on the treadmill. It was the same. But I [dealt with] the pain. Really I was suffering in those moments. After (a) few minutes I was starting to feel little relief–took different painkillers, which helped a little bit. I was, like, ‘Okay, let’s try it.’ It’s like 30 minutes before the match. I can walk. I can run. Let’s see.
“Somehow I won the first round, and basically then I had one day off, which of course for my knee was much better. Day by day the knee was getting better, and with that also my game.
“Crazy, huh?”
You bet it’s crazy, and to say that both his knee and his game got better would be wild understatement. Mensik played the best tennis of his life, beating the likes of Indian Wells champions Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz en route to the final before upsetting his idol this past Sunday night.
“It just feels incredible,” the Czech concluded. “I’m living the moment. Living the dream.”
not sure the entire truth of this story, but it certainly makes for a good one!