Meet Jakub Mensik, The 17-Year-Old Taking The US Open By Storm

Jakub Mensik’s own family did no longer play tennis. But as a boy in Prostejov, Czech Republic, the sport surrounded him. Just a hundred metres away was a school that had tennis courts subsequent to the playground.

Five-hundred metres away had been private courts.

At that place, there was a sign that read they had been looking for a new Petra Kvitova and Tomas Berdych.

“I turned into looking the men from the neighbourhood gambling and watching additionally the little children.

They also had practices, they have been starting their tennis career,” Mensik told ATPTour.Com.

“So then I just came to my dad or my mother and just asked them if I can play also, and of route they continually wanted me to do a little sports. That’s how I started.”

It changed into becoming that on Monday while Mensik served with a two-sets-to-one lead and a four-2 benefit within the fourth set of his fit against Gregoire Barrere on the US Open, Berdych himself walked by using the court docket as he observed his rate, fellow Czech Jiri Lehecka, to his fit. The former World No.

four very in brief looked at Court 6, and no fanatics recognised him.

All eyes were on Mensik, now 17, who became the youngest man seeing that Borna Coric in 2014 to win a primary draw healthy on the US Open.

The teen’s father, Michal, works in IT and played ice hockey at the same time as his mother, Katerina, works in advertising and PR, and skied.

So how did Mensik satisfy the nearby sign’s request for a future Czech star? It all starts offevolved with his childhood educate, Ivo Muller, whom Jakub and his dad and mom had excessive reward for.

“He changed into the first-rate man because he should develop the right love of tennis to the small youngsters,” Michal stated.

“And he also taught the mother and father to be good tennis parents.”

Tragedy struck on 6 June 2013, while Muller died after a brief battle with cancer. It hit the Mensik own family tough.

“[Jakub] was very small. He turned into seven. But I assume this changed into his first revel in with this kind of state of affairs,” Michal said.

“He changed into unhappy and it become the primary chance we had to talk with him about death, these form of situations.

I suppose he changed into sad of route, but existence goes on.”

By that point, Muller had already instilled a love of tennis in Mensik that stays with him nowadays.

There changed into no doubt via 12 that he wanted to become a professional tennis participant.

“I just played tennis,” Mensik said. “I did athletics once but it become simply in school, simply one or two instances according to week.

I watched simply basketball because with my height, it became clean to position the ball in the net.”

While Mensik have become a big Golden State Warriors fan due to Stephen Curry and liking the team’s jersey colorings, blue and yellow, it was all tennis all of the time.

“He constantly wanted to be a professional tennis participant,” Michal stated. “He desired to win all of the Grand Slams and to be No. 1.”

By 16, he changed into one of the fine juniors inside the global. Last yr, at 16, he reached the Australian Open boys’ singles very last and misplaced an epic final to American Bruno Kuzuhara. His performance within the fit caused a courting with Novak Djokovic.

“He sent a video of himself speakme to me, and asking me if I wanted to come, that he noticed the match and he saw what came about.

And if I wanted to, he become seeking out a sparring partner for one week in Belgrade to hit,” Mensik stated. “So I became like, ‘Okay, why now not?’ He is one of the excellent or the fine in tennis. So I stated, ‘Okay, permit’s try this.’

“I came there and we hit some times. I wasn’t simply with him at the courtroom, but additionally off the courtroom and speakme with him not just about tennis, but all the stuff off the court. So it turned into very amusing and off the courtroom he’s the nicest guy I ever met.

When you move the road and take a look at him and communicate to him, you’re not certain if this man is a tennis participant. When he’s speaking to you, it’s only a normal man or woman.”

Mensik also joined Djokovic for a week in Montenego last 12 months ahead of Wimbledon and even spoke to the Serbian in brief this week in New York. At Flushing Meadows, the #NextGenATP star is proving he’s more than just a top junior, but a threat in the foremost draw of a first-rate.

In his first attempt to qualify for a Grand Slam event, he did so efficaciously.

And in his first excursion-stage match in opposition to an established participant in World No. Fifty nine Barrere, he seemed snug on court and triumphed in four units.

It is not horrific for a person who nonetheless has twelve months left of excessive college back domestic.

His trainer even despatched congratulatory messages after he beat Barrere.

Mensik’s dad and mom are keen for him to finish this degree of training.

Michal explained that Jakub has said: “I need to attention on college and I cannot focus on tennis and it is horrible.”

But that has sincerely no longer impacted his overall performance.

Entering the week of US Open qualifying last yr, Mensik become World No. 882. Now he is No. 162 inside the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

On Wednesday, Mensik will play another primary debutant, Titouan Droguet, for a place inside the third round. If the 17–12 months-vintage wins, he becomes the youngest guy to reach the 1/3 round of the US Open for the reason that Fabrice Santoro in 1990.

But in the longterm, the boy who continually rode his motorbike to his nearby courts to play a recreation he loves has even larger goals.

“Of path to be at the top of the arena. I can say that I need to be first within the international and also winning the Slams and ATP Masters [1000s],” Mensik stated.

“That’s I assume the dream for every person who’s playing tennis and I am the equal. But I need to be on the Tour and gambling those tournaments with the exceptional of the arena.”

Meet Jakub Mensik, The 17-Year-Old Taking The US Open By Storm

Jakub Mensik’s own family did no longer play tennis. But as a boy in Prostejov, Czech Republic, the sport surrounded him. Just a hundred metres away was a school that had tennis courts subsequent to the playground.

Five-hundred metres away had been private courts.

At that place, there was a sign that read they had been looking for a new Petra Kvitova and Tomas Berdych.

“I turned into looking the men from the neighbourhood gambling and watching additionally the little children.

They also had practices, they have been starting their tennis career,” Mensik told ATPTour.Com.

“So then I just came to my dad or my mother and just asked them if I can play also, and of route they continually wanted me to do a little sports. That’s how I started.”

It changed into becoming that on Monday while Mensik served with a two-sets-to-one lead and a four-2 benefit within the fourth set of his fit against Gregoire Barrere on the US Open, Berdych himself walked by using the court docket as he observed his rate, fellow Czech Jiri Lehecka, to his fit. The former World No.

four very in brief looked at Court 6, and no fanatics recognised him.

All eyes were on Mensik, now 17, who became the youngest man seeing that Borna Coric in 2014 to win a primary draw healthy on the US Open.

The teen’s father, Michal, works in IT and played ice hockey at the same time as his mother, Katerina, works in advertising and PR, and skied.

So how did Mensik satisfy the nearby sign’s request for a future Czech star? It all starts offevolved with his childhood educate, Ivo Muller, whom Jakub and his dad and mom had excessive reward for.

“He changed into the first-rate man because he should develop the right love of tennis to the small youngsters,” Michal stated.

“And he also taught the mother and father to be good tennis parents.”

Tragedy struck on 6 June 2013, while Muller died after a brief battle with cancer. It hit the Mensik own family tough.

“[Jakub] was very small. He turned into seven. But I assume this changed into his first revel in with this kind of state of affairs,” Michal said.

“He changed into unhappy and it become the primary chance we had to talk with him about death, these form of situations.

I suppose he changed into sad of route, but existence goes on.”

By that point, Muller had already instilled a love of tennis in Mensik that stays with him nowadays.

There changed into no doubt via 12 that he wanted to become a professional tennis participant.

“I just played tennis,” Mensik said. “I did athletics once but it become simply in school, simply one or two instances according to week.

I watched simply basketball because with my height, it became clean to position the ball in the net.”

While Mensik have become a big Golden State Warriors fan due to Stephen Curry and liking the team’s jersey colorings, blue and yellow, it was all tennis all of the time.

“He constantly wanted to be a professional tennis participant,” Michal stated. “He desired to win all of the Grand Slams and to be No. 1.”

By 16, he changed into one of the fine juniors inside the global. Last yr, at 16, he reached the Australian Open boys’ singles very last and misplaced an epic final to American Bruno Kuzuhara. His performance within the fit caused a courting with Novak Djokovic.

“He sent a video of himself speakme to me, and asking me if I wanted to come, that he noticed the match and he saw what came about.

And if I wanted to, he become seeking out a sparring partner for one week in Belgrade to hit,” Mensik stated. “So I became like, ‘Okay, why now not?’ He is one of the excellent or the fine in tennis. So I stated, ‘Okay, permit’s try this.’

“I came there and we hit some times. I wasn’t simply with him at the courtroom, but additionally off the courtroom and speakme with him not just about tennis, but all the stuff off the court. So it turned into very amusing and off the courtroom he’s the nicest guy I ever met.

When you move the road and take a look at him and communicate to him, you’re not certain if this man is a tennis participant. When he’s speaking to you, it’s only a normal man or woman.”

Mensik also joined Djokovic for a week in Montenego last 12 months ahead of Wimbledon and even spoke to the Serbian in brief this week in New York. At Flushing Meadows, the #NextGenATP star is proving he’s more than just a top junior, but a threat in the foremost draw of a first-rate.

In his first attempt to qualify for a Grand Slam event, he did so efficaciously.

And in his first excursion-stage match in opposition to an established participant in World No. Fifty nine Barrere, he seemed snug on court and triumphed in four units.

It is not horrific for a person who nonetheless has twelve months left of excessive college back domestic.

His trainer even despatched congratulatory messages after he beat Barrere.

Mensik’s dad and mom are keen for him to finish this degree of training.

Michal explained that Jakub has said: “I need to attention on college and I cannot focus on tennis and it is horrible.”

But that has sincerely no longer impacted his overall performance.

Entering the week of US Open qualifying last yr, Mensik become World No. 882. Now he is No. 162 inside the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

On Wednesday, Mensik will play another primary debutant, Titouan Droguet, for a place inside the third round. If the 17–12 months-vintage wins, he becomes the youngest guy to reach the 1/3 round of the US Open for the reason that Fabrice Santoro in 1990.

But in the longterm, the boy who continually rode his motorbike to his nearby courts to play a recreation he loves has even larger goals.

“Of path to be at the top of the arena. I can say that I need to be first within the international and also winning the Slams and ATP Masters [1000s],” Mensik stated.

“That’s I assume the dream for every person who’s playing tennis and I am the equal. But I need to be on the Tour and gambling those tournaments with the exceptional of the arena.”