Away from the spotlight of the ATP Tour, Jakub Mensik unwinds by jamming on his drum kit, playing rock classics like Stairway to Heaven and Highway to Hell.
While much of his time is spent on the road competing at tournaments, the 19-year-old seizes moments at home — like this past offseason — to swap his racquet for drumsticks, embracing his inner rock star.
“During Covid [in 2020], that was my main hobby. I started to play drums and when I’m home, I sometimes play, but it’s nothing serious,” Mensik told ATPTour.com. “I didn’t have a teacher, I was just watching YouTube videos and I was just playing the songs.
“I can play Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. I can do Nothing Else Matters by Metallica. A couple from AC/DC, Highway to Hell. These three are my main three songs.”
Mensik's passion for drumming runs in the family. His father, Michal, played for fun and even had a high school garage band with friends.
If the No. 57 player in the PIF ATP Rankings ever formed his own band, he would not have to search far for a stage name. His nickname, ‘Menimal’ is already a perfect fit.
“A couple years ago when Stan Wawrinka was on the top, he was wearing t-shirts like ‘Stan the Man’, ‘Stanimal’, so I was like, ‘Hey, that sounds good with my name, like ‘Menimal’,” said Mensik. “And since I said that to my coach, he is calling me Menimal.”
Competing at this week’s ATP Challenger 175 event in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic, Mensik is aiming to build on his impressive 2024 campaign. Already this season, Mensik has reached two tour-level quarter-finals, followed by his statement win at the Australian Open, ousting sixth seed Casper Ruud en route to the third round.
The #NextGenATP star is hungry for more.
“I’m still very young so I can see my progress is going higher and higher, so I’m glad for that,” Mensik said. “My goal for this season is to reach the Top 30, the best would be Top 25. And win an ATP event, that’s the goal for the season.”
It's showtime in the Dominican Republic 🕺#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/M3rdmTWCYR
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) March 10, 2025
© Copyright 1994 - 2024 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Community Social Media Policy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies | Your Privacy Choices | Cookie Settings
