Novak Djokovic and Jakub Mensik will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for the Miami Open title on Sunday afternoon. Their only previous meeting came last fall at the Shanghai Masters, where Djokovic got the job done 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4.
It will be the biggest age difference in ATP Masters 1000 final history when they meet again in Miami. Djokovic (37) and Mensik (19) are separated by eighteen years and 102 days.
It has been 170 days since their Shanghai showdown. That may not be a long time, but Mensik insists that he is a much different player five and a half months later.
“(I’m a) different player,” the teenager said during his post-match press conference after beating world No. 4 Taylor Fritz in a third-set tiebreaker on semifinal Friday. “In Shanghai I was kind of nervous. I’m not saying that [I won’t be] on Sunday, also. But, yeah, I was just nervous. I was not able to hold (the) nerves very well in the match. I think [in the last] few months I just grew up a little mentally.
“Of course, playing right now I feel that the conditions and everything here suits me very well. I feel really comfortable on the court. So I’m going there on Sunday to win. No doubt on that. In Shanghai I was more (there to) enjoy and to take the experiences. Right now I’m here to win.”
Mensik has done a lot of winning, including against the best players in the world. He is 7-5 lifetime against top-10 opponents, the third-best record among all active ATP players who have played at least 10 such matches. The Czech has added two top-10 victories to his haul in Miami, beating both Fritz and Indian Wells winner Jack Draper.
Unfortunately for Mensik, Djokovic appears to have regained his form of old. The Serb has not lost a set at this Masters 1000 tournament, cruising past Rinky Hijikata, Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Lorenzo Musetti, Sebastian Korda, and Grigor Dimitrov
If Djokovic keeps serving as he has been, the 24-time major champion will likely be too good and too experienced for Mensik.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.