Teenager Jakub Mensik stunned his idol Novak Djokovic in the final of the Miami Open to win his first-ever ATP title. The teenager has revealed that he had gone to pull out of the event before his first round game due to inflammation in his right knee, but was prevented from doing so because the referee was out for lunch. So Mensik instead ended up heading to his physio’s room and ended up playing his opener against Roberto Bautista Agut. The 19-year-old defeated Djokovic 7-6(4), 7-6(4) in the final on Sunday to claim a famous victory.
Here’s the incredible story of how Mensik almost withdrew from the event.
“It was just a big inflammation. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t run,” Mensik told reporters after his win over Djokovic. “I started to treat it, started to take painkillers. Nothing was helping. During matchday it was the same … I tried to step on the treadmill. I couldn’t move. I was like, ‘Okay, well, that’s it. I’m pulling out’.
“… I was visiting the referee’s office to say ‘Guys, I’m pulling out’, but he was having lunch. So okay, let’s visit the physio first. I was there and I said, ‘Hey, my knee is hurting. Just fill the paper. I’m going’.”
Jakub Mensik holds the Butch Buchholz Championship Trophy after defeating Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles final at the Miami Open. (AP Photo)
But Mensik was forced to change his mind when the physio convinced him that his knee was not a serious problem.
“I was like, ‘okay, let’s try one more time. I stepped on the treadmill and it was the same. But I went over the pain. I was suffering in those moments,” Mensik added. “After a few minutes I started to feel a little relief. I took different painkillers, which helped a little bit. I was like, ‘Okay, let’s try it. It’s like 30 minutes before the match. I can walk. I can run. Let’s see’. Somehow I won the first round and basically then I had one day off, which of course, for my knee was much more better. Day by day the knee was getting better and with that also my game.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
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