Mensik: 'I have the confidence that I can beat the big guys'

Jakub Mensik is a name to look out for on the ATP Tour this season.

Aged 18, the #NextGenATP Czech has already reached an ATP Challenger Tour final this year, upset Denis Shapovalov at the Australian Open and pushed Top 10-star Hubert Hurkacz to five sets.

Possessing a big game, the World No. 113 player in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings has quickly built on his impressive 2023 season at the start of 2024.

“The Australian Open was a great tournament for me,” Mensik told ATPTour.com ahead of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, where the Czech plays this week. “The qualifying rounds were pretty tough, but I came through and then against Dennis Shapovalov, he is a former Top 10 player, so I was very happy with that performance and win.

“The second round with Hubert Hurkacz also. That was the second time I played against [a] Top 10 player. Last year it was at the US Open against Taylor Fritz. And now with Hurkacz, playing five sets, around three hours. It was just a great experience.”

Last Septemeber, Mensik advanced to the third round at the US Open on his major debut. However, he struggled to trouble then-World No. 9 Fritz in New York, where the American ran out a comfortable 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 winner.

Four months on, Mensik once again lost against Top 10 opposition but made Hurkacz work hard, with the Pole advancing 6-7(9), 6-1, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3. The result has given Mensik confidence and a sense of belonging.

“The match with Hurkacz is something that I compared with the match against Fritz,” Mensik said. “Last year, I played Fritz in the third round and he just beat me out of the court. Four months later, I played against the same kind of level of player and now it was five sets.

“I just can see the improvement and also it gave me so much confidence for the future. It's very tough to get through the Challenger Tour and all the players which are there also want to play these ATP Tour events like here [in Doha]. But I now have the confidence that I can play with these big guys and that I can really beat the big guys.”

Based in Prostejov in the Czech Republic, Mensik has gained vital experience practising with countryman and World No. 32 Jiri Lehecka in recent years.

The 22-year-old Lehecka, who reached the title match at the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2022, believes Mensik has the game to continue his rapid rise up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and is pleased to help where he can.

“We practise at the same club,” Lehecka told ATPTour.com last month in Australia. “We are sharing the court quite often and we know each other well. I'm certain that he will do well this year. He has great weapons.

“I try to help a bit. He is asking me mostly about the tournaments. How does it look like, how does it work there and about some of the other guys, some of the top guys I practise with. About what kind of guys they are, what drills I do with them and such stuff because we know each other well.”

Mensik is grateful for the guidance Lehecka provides and is excited by the future of Czech tennis. Alongside Lehecka, Tomas Machac, 23, is at a career-high No. 62, while 21-year-old Dalibor Svrcina is No. 174. The 26-year-old Vit Kopriva is also on the verge of the Top 100 at No. 116.

“On the ATP Tour, we are very young, all of us," Mensik said. "It is great that Jiri is also in Prostejov that we can practise sometimes and we know each other. He gives me help. I think for the future, this is great for the Davis Cup as well. We can improve a lot and maybe all of us, with Tomas Machac as well, can be in the Top 20.”

Off court, Mensik is also working hard. The 18-year-old is completing in his final year of study remotely while he continues to play and travel to events. The Czech enjoys studying. However, he is determined to pass his exams this year so he can say goodbye to geography revision in the future.

“I'm finishing high school this year. I hope that I will finish that and then I can fully focus on tennis without studying,” Mensik said. “Right now I have to take my books to different tournaments because I have my finals exams in three months. I will graduate this year. I am studying Czech language, English, so I think interviews will become easier for me! Then I have the sports theory and management and geography.

“Of course, when I was younger, I was thinking about going to college. But right now, I think that if I do really well, then I think I will continue to focus on playing on the ATP Tour.”

Mensik hopes to make more waves this coming week at the ATP 250 hard-court event in Doha. As part of the Next Gen ATP Brand expansion, players aged 20 and under who reach the Top 250 at any point in the season receive one main draw opportunity at an ATP 250 in a week when there are three or more ATP Tour events. Mensik has taken up that offer in Doha, where he will face Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round.

“I know that all these tournaments are pretty tough. I didn't even get into the main draw here in Doha on my normal ranking. I had to use the Next Gen spot,” Mensik said. “I know that these tournaments are very tough but it has been a pretty solid start, reaching a Challenger final in the first week of the season as well as Australia, so I am excited for this event.”