Novak Djokovic left teenage tennis star fearful of 'hoax' after showing

Teenage sensation Jakub Mensik was worried that he was the victim of a hoax after receiving an unlikely offer from Novak Djokovic. Mensik announced himself earlier this year when he reached the Qatar Open final and cracked the world’s top 100. After reaching the third round in Madrid, the 18-year-old and his coach explained how Djokovic “opened doors” for them.

Mensik is currently the youngest player in the top 100, sitting at No. 74 in the world. The Czech star is enjoying a breakthrough season which really got going in Doha. He received a wildcard into the tournament as part of a Next Gen programme allowing young players a free pass into one ATP 250 event and made the most of it, storming into the final.

As he continues to climb up the rankings and make his mark on the professional circuit, Mensik and his coach Tomas Josefus explained how Djokovic played a part in his success after selflessly reaching out to offer guidance. “We were taking stock when Jakub received a video on his phone from a Serbian number that he didn’t know,” his coach told L’Equipe.

He did not hesitate to share his knowledge and contacts. We had closed doors in front of us, Novak opened them.” Mensik, who idolises Djokovic and hopes to face the 10-time Australian Open champion in Melbourne one day, originally thought it could be a scam.

He added: “I first thought it was a hoax, but it was really him. Novak is my childhood idol, you can imagine my joy. Weight, lunch, recovery… Everything he did, I did. I understood a lot of things there. I observed him, I tried to analyse his functioning, how he warms up, stretches, recoveries. He recommended them (contacts) to us and gave us their number. Many things we put in place were thanks to him.”