ATP Tour

Jakub Mensik on his ‘inspirational’ brother Lukas

As a pro tennis player constantly chasing success, Jakub Mensik spends much of his year travelling the world on the ATP Tour. That includes this fortnight at Roland Garros, where he is into his first major semi-final.

Whenever the 20-year-old Czech sets down his racquet for a trip home, however, he knows he will be greeted by plenty of supportive faces.

Among the Czech’s biggest fans in his hometown of Prostejov are his parents, Michal and Katerina, as well as his brother Lukas. Older than Jakub by three years, Lukas has autism spectrum disorder. Jakub says that in his mind, his relationship with his brother has been one of the happy constants in his life.

“For me it was from the beginning. My brother is older, so when I came to this world he was already there,” the Czech told ATPTour.com last year. “So for me, it was normal. It wasn't like something switched and he started to be like that. From when I was young, I don't remember that much. But of course when we were kids together, we spent a lot of time together. I don't want to say I was ‘used to it’, but for me it was normal.

“I don't think it changed my life in some particular way. Of course, when I see other siblings, in our case, we are a bit different. But still, I think the love that we show to each other, the love we have for each other, and how excited we are to see each other all the time after a long time, those are the most important things.”

As he has developed into one of the brightest young talents on the ATP Tour, Mensik has inevitably had fewer opportunities to spend extended periods at home. This does not stop him maximising the time he does share with Lukas.

“I'm playing tournaments, I'm playing tennis, I'm living my dream actually, and trying to achieve my dreams and everything,” Mensik, who on Friday will play his maiden Grand Slam semi-final against Alexander Zverev. “Of course, I don't have that much time to spend with my brother, because he's at home and I'm travelling a lot, so all the time when I come back home, I try to spend as much time as I can with him.”

In December 2024, Mensik visited the JISTOTA school in Prostejov, a centre for special educational needs where Lukas was among 76 pupils. The No. 27 player in the PIF ATP Rankings drew plenty of inspiration from his brother and the other students he met.

“When I visited, I was just there two hours and it was enough for me, because I feel so emotional for all the kids in there,” Mensik reflected. “And all the teachers and pedagogues as well, being there with them and helping them a lot to achieve their goals as well, like I'm achieving mine in tennis.

“It's very inspirational and a really good thing. Of course, not just me, but if anyone in the world sees these things they will start to see the real values of life and living life.”

Since enjoying a breakout third-round run as a 17-year-old at the 2023 US Open, Mensik has gone from strength to strength on the ATP Tour. He lifted his maiden tour-level title at the 2025 Miami Open presented by Itau, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final, and he hit his career-high of No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings in March of this year. A jump into the Top 10 is still possible this fortnight.

Mensik acknowledges that Lukas is not likely to fully grasp the scale of his on-court achievements nor his off-court profile, but that does not mean he feels anything less than complete support from his older brother.

“It's tough to have to explain his situation, but I don't think that he really understands that I'm maybe a little ‘famous’, or that I'm doing pretty well in tennis,” Mensik said. “He just knows what tennis is and that I play it, and that's basically it. But when I'm at a tournament and my parents are watching me on the TV, he's watching and cheering for me as well, which is of course lovely.”