Final Preview: Djokovic chases title 100 & record seventh Miami crown against teen sensation Mensik

It will be experience vs. youth on Sunday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where 37-year-old Novak Djokovic will chase history against 19-year-old Jakub Mensik in the title match.

On one side of the net we have Djokovic, who is the oldest ATP Masters 1000 finalist in history. The Serbian is aiming to become just the third man alongside Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) to capture 100 tour-level titles, having clinched his 99th crown last July at the Paris Olympics.

Battle of the generations 🧬

19-year-old @mensik_jakub_ will come up against 37-year-old @DjokerNole for the #MiamiOpen title! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/AikGwuKjxu

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 29, 2025

If Djokovic, competing in his 60th Masters 1000 final, captures a record-extending 41st trophy at this level, he will also break a tie with Andre Agassi and move to a record seven Miami trophies. In short, there is a lot on the line for the Serbian come Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. in Florida.

“Ever since I won my 99th, which was the Olympic Games in Paris, I've been playing with the prospect of winning the special hundred titles,” Djokovic said after defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals. “I played finals of Shanghai. I was close there. Semi-finals of Australia. Then been trying to find that necessary and much-needed level of tennis that will put me in a position to fight for a trophy, a big trophy.

“That's what I've been doing this week. I've been very happy with the way I prepared for the tournament, the way I've been playing. I haven't dropped a set. It's a great opportunity.”

There has been a host of stars in attendance in Miami this fortnight with footballing legend Lionel Messi the latest on Friday. Djokovic met up with Messi after his victory and was given an honest assessment of his performance by the Argentine’s son.

“To have [Messi] watch me live obviously brings me great, great joy and excitement, and also a bit of pressure, to be honest. I was rated by one of his sons today as 8 out of 10, which is pretty good. He with a serious face told me I have too make 10 out of 10 next match,” Djokovic said with a smile.

The former World No. 1 will want to be at his 10 out of 10 best on Sunday if he is to stop talented teen Mensik, who in contrast to Djokovic, is trying to win his maiden tour-level title.

The Czech first burst onto the scene two years ago at the US Open, where he made the third round aged 17 before he advanced to his first final in Doha last February. Now 19, Mensik has developed into a real handful for the top players on Tour, possessing explosive power off both wings and a mental toughness beyond his years.

The Czech fired 25 aces en route to defeating World No. 4 Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals, improving his standout career record against Top 10 players to 7-5. He also overcame Indian Wells champion and World No. 7 Jack Draper in the second round and is just the fourth active male player to own a positive record against Top-10 players.

With his third-set tie-break win against Fritz, he climbed to No. 30 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and became the third youngest Miami finalist, behind Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, who were both 18 years and nine months when they reached their first Miami finals.

Now Mensik is ready for his dream matchup against idol Djokovic.

“It feels incredible. For me it was a dream to play against him in Shanghai. For now it’s a bit different. I am a better player now and I’m going to enjoy and it’s going to be really exciting,” said Mensik. “Let’s see what’s going to happen Sunday.”

Djokovic defeated Mensik in their previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting in Shanghai last year. While the Serbian will need to be at his best on return against the Czech – who has struck 97 aces, won 85 per cent of his first-serve points and recorded a serve quality score of 9.35 in Miami (Tour average 7.90) – Mensik will need to be equally as dialled in on the Djokovic delivery.

How good has Mensik's serve been in Miami...that good 😱🤖

Some of @mensik_jakub_ excellent serving 🔢 (tour avg.):

Aces per match 19 (5)
1st in 69% (63%)
1st speed 129 mph (119 mph)
1st accuracy 48 cm (58… pic.twitter.com/qc4OQOlsGQ

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 29, 2025

The fourth seed made a career-high 87 per cent of his first serves against Dimitrov, winning 79 per cent of those points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Going further back, the Serbian’s success on serve has been a theme in Miami. He made 83 per cent of first serves against Sebastian Korda, 70 per cent against Lorenzo Musetti, 77 per cent against Camilo Ugo Carabelli and 80 per cent against Rinky Hijikata. Across his five wins he has only faced seven break points.

“I always liked my serve, particularly when it comes to accuracy and precision. That's what I was looking for,” Djokovic said after his semi-final win. “I was never really looking to ramp up the miles per hour on the serve. I mean, it's great if you can serve 130-miles-an-hour serve, but I'd rather serve 120 miles an hour and hit the line and hit the perfect spot in the box because that's what either wins you a point or gives you an easy first shot in the rally… Serve is very fluent [in] this tournament.”

If Djokovic can find similar numbers on serve Sunday, it will be hard for Mensik to stop him. However, with Djokovic chasing an elusive 100th title, it remains to be seen if the free-hitting teen take advantage of any increased strain on the 37-year-old. Watch the final from 3 p.m ET/9 p.m. CET to find out.