MIAMI GARDONS, Fla. — Novak Djokovic faced a series of obstacles on Sunday at the Miami Open Finals. The delay five and a half hours before the match, and the high levels of humidity following the rain are eye infections and slippery courts.
However, the biggest obstacles were the 6-foot-4, 19-year-old young Yakubumensik and strength. He surpassed the 37-year-old Serb with two tiebreakers, 7-6 (4) and 7-6 (4) to win his first ATP title.
Ranked 54th in the tournament, the Czech Republic teenager plowed Djokovic with his calm and stellar serve of 130 mph. He collected 14 aces and broke only once. Mensic defeated the winner of the service at match points and fell on his back.
“You idolized me when I was young,” Mensick told Djokovic during the post-match ceremony that lasted two or three minutes. “I’ve started playing tennis for you. “”
Mensic’s victory ruined Djokovic’s party. Djokovic was ranked seventh in his 100th career title and the Miami Open. The teenagers appear ready to join the elite, but Djokovic has to wait.
“This is a fun moment for him and his family. It’s an incredible tournament,” Djokovic said. At the moment of the clutch, you delivered the item. For young players like yourself, this is a great feature. ”
The crowd pulled hard for Djokovic, who hadn’t played here since 2019. More than three-quarters of the fans chanted “no-vak!” despite the massive delays and sang his name in a critical part of the match.
Djokovic was far from the fan favorite here early in his career, paying tribute to the fans, saying that it was one of the warmest crowds he’d ever had.
However, the boys’ leader with 24 Grand Slam titles seemed to have compromised by his eye problems, showing redness under his eyelids. Djokovic applied the eyedrop during two changeovers in the first set. It was unclear whether that influenced his vision.
During the set he slid twice in court. After the humidity reached 90% hours after the rain, the card was destroyed. Sweats heavily, Djokovic asked the judge for a bucket of scraps to sprinkle wet grips on him.
Mensik lost to Djokovic in three setters at Shanghai Master in October, but the youngster said he played too nervously before the match.
Mensic was playing his first ATP 1000 final. He was not two years old when Djokovic won his first Miami Open title in 2007.
This time there was more fearlessness than Shanghai. Mensic stood up 3-0 early on, but Djokovic fought back 4-3, clutching 4-4 after fans recited his name.
Mensic took a 6-5 lead in a game in which Djokovic chased a drop shot and fell in a doubles alley. Mensic offered it with his seventh ace.
In the first set tiebreak, Mensik charged first at 5-0. Mensic performed a jumping backhand volley winner, and Djokovic muffed a routine forehand drop shot to collapse late at 5-0. At set point, Mensik slugs an overhead smash for the winner.
The match was scheduled for 3pm, but players were not in court until 8:37pm as rain and organizers decided to complete the women’s doubles final.
The rains in South Florida began at 12:50pm with women’s doubles final Pit Mira Andreva and Diana Schneider leading 3-0 in the first set with Christina Bucca and Miya Miya, Miya and Schneider.
The female athletes returned to the court at 5:30pm after the rain stopped and the court was prepared by court drying machinery. However, the rain began a few minutes later, and the warm-up and umbrella-striking players left the court again.
The women returned to court an hour later, with Andreva and Schneider running through the distance at 6:50pm, winning three sets of match tiebreakers 6-3, 6-7 (5), 10-2.