The 2025 Miami Open Men's Singles final saw among the sport's biggest upset in recent years as two generations of tennis went head-to-head, with Jacob Mensik winning the first ATP 1000 tournament of his career to deny Novak Djokovic, a historic 100th career trophy of his career.

Djokovic has been stuck on 99 career titles since winning the gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics in August last year. The Serbian will become only the third male player in history to complete a century of singles title after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.

Entering the summit clash in Miami, Djokovic was the hot favourite to end his title drought as he went head-to-head against someone who is ranked 54th in the world. However, the 19-year-old showed nerves of steel to complete a straight sets win by a 7-6, 7-6 margin.

The Czech Republic star athlete was born in 2005 (1st September), two years after Djokovic turned professional and less than a year before he won his first ATP title (Dutch Open). Mensik first came to the limelight after he reached the final of the 2022 Australian Open Junior category, where he played Bruno Kuzuhara. However, the match had a heartbreaking end as he suffered thigh muscle cramps and ended up losing a tense three-set game.

In 2023, Mensik won the first ATP Challenger title of his career after beating Dominik Koepfer in the final of the Sparta Prague Open. He became the youngest player from the Czech Republic to win a title and only the second 17-year-old from the country after Thomas Berdych to achieve the feat.

It was at the 2023 US Open that he made a mark for himself by reaching the third round on his tour-level debut. He became the youngest male singles player to reach the third round of a grand slam since Rafael Nadal in the 2004 Australian Open.

However, it was at the 2024 Qatar Open that the world took notice of him as he reached the final after defeating Andy Murray, Andrew Rublev, and Gael Monfils. However, he lost the summit clash to Karen Khachanov. However, the dream run ensured he entered the top 100 of the ATP rankings and also became the youngest player in the elite list.

Mensik finished the season by breaking into the top 50 after reaching in the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters. After winning the Miami Open on Sunday (March 30), the youngster has achieved a career high ranking of 24.

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Jacob Mensik Childhood Idol - Novak Djokovic

Mensik's career came full circle in Miami as his maiden ATP 1000 title came against Novak Djokovic, who he considers his childhood idol.

“Novak, everyone knows you’re the one… the reason I’m here. I watched you growing up. I started to play tennis because of you. There is not a harder task for a tennis player than to beat you in the final of a tournament. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done in this sport and for everyone. You’re an incredible person. The greatest of all time," said Mensik after his victory in Miami.

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