Nineteen-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik pulled off a stunning upset on Sunday, defeating his childhood idol Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 7-6(4) to claim his first ATP title at the Miami Open.
In just his second ATP final, Mensik, ranked 54th, relied on his powerful serve, delivering 14 aces to outlast the 24-time major champion. He sealed the win with an unreturnable serve, collapsing in emotion as he secured the victory.
At 37, Djokovic, the oldest player to reach a Masters 1000 final, had hoped to become just the third man in the Open Era with 100 or more titles, joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103), but ultimately fell short.
"When I was young, I started to play tennis because of you," Mensik said to his opponent at the trophy ceremony. "There is no harder task for a tennis player than to beat you in the finals of a tournament."
Djokovic arrived on the court after several hours of rain delays with swelling near his right eye and appeared off-kilter as he handed Mensik a break with a clumsy shot out of bounds in the second game.
He slipped and fell in the fifth game, taking his time to get back up off the court as his legions of devoted fans in Hard Rock Stadium urged him on.
He also applied eye drops to his afflicted eye during the changeover.
The Serb leveled it in the seventh but boiled over with frustration as Mensik got off to a 5-0 head start in the tiebreak, fuming at his box, where his former rival-turned-coach Andy Murray sat stone-faced.
Mensik held his nerve, meanwhile, and pumped his fist with satisfaction as he clinched the set with an overhead smash.
The two players battled toe-to-toe in a thrilling second set, where Mensik used his speed to his advantage to neutralize Djokovic's fine drop shots at the net.
Djokovic displayed his veteran survival instincts as he fended off two break points in the fifth game but gradually showed the wear and tear of the match before collapsing from exhaustion after a 21-shot rally in the tiebreak.
"It hurts me to admit it, but you were better," said Djokovic, who had previously invited Mensik to train with him after the then-16-year-old reached the Australian Open juniors final in 2022. "In the clutch moments, you delivered the goods."
The win capped a dream run through the tournament for Mensik, who upset third seed Taylor Fritz en route to the final.
"To be honest, I don't know what to say. It feels incredible, obviously," he said in on-court remarks.
The victory was made even sweeter as Mensik revealed he nearly dropped out of the tournament an hour before his first match due to knee pain, giving full credit to his physio for keeping his hopes alive.
"I came for treatment, needed a miracle," Mensik said. "And because of him, I stepped on the court, and because of him, I'm standing here."
