Andy Murray was knocked out of the Qatar Open in the Round of 16 on Wednesday after being beaten 7-6 (6) 6-7 (3) 7-6 (4) by teenager Jakub Mensik. The Scot has endured a torrid run of form of late, with his first win since October coming on Tuesday when he beat Alexandre Muller.
Murray squandered several chances to impose himself on Mensik but ultimately was not anywhere near his best and paid the price. In contrast, his 18-year-old opponent played some sensational tennis, especially in the first set, and, after a blip in the second set, he managed to keep his cool to book his spot in the next round, where he will face Andrey Rublev.
Speaking after the victory, Mensik revealed that he spent time working with Novak Djokovic in 2022 and learned plenty from playing with the world No. 1. He explained: “It was after 2022, Australian Open finals. He knew that he was my biggest idol, so he invited me to Belgrade and then after to Montenegro to spend some days with him practicing, you know, doing all the stuff off the court also.
“It’s really nice that one of the best players in history invited me and I had that opportunity to play against him, to practice with him. So all of these experiences and advice for the future and for matches are just really good.”
Mensik then went on to reveal that Djokovic gave him plenty of advice which has consequently accelerated his progress, and it is likely that some of the Serbian’s tips came into play when he secured a memorable win over Murray.
The teen continued: “It was not that one advice. You know, it was the complex of the little things, what he’s doing different off the court, on the court. So for me, I was just watching him and, you know, trying to analyse his routines and everything.
“So just to be there with him and watch him practice, doing all the stuff, warmup, you know, and then cool down and everything. It’s just, for me, really great for the future, like I told you.
“It’s not just because he gave me some advice that you have to do like this, you have to do like this. It’s just trying to put all these little things in my game and in my career.” Mensik will need to progress further if he is to cause an upset against Rublev, though the experience of playing one of the best in the world will certainly put him in good stead for the future.
