The tennis fraternity is thriving with high-potential players this season, and among them stands out Czechia’s Jakub Mensik. Gearing up for the ATP Next Gen Finals, he already showed great potential. In a candid conversation, Mensik drew similarities with Jannik Sinner, explaining why he could rise as a formidable opponent for the ATP world number one.

Mensik is gearing up for the Next-gen ATP Finals Group Stage match against Learner Tien. The match is set to take place after two days. After this fixture, Mensik will also play against Arthur Fils in another Group Stage, the day after the first match.

The Czechia player will also try his skills against Brazil’s Joao Fonseca. Mensik has already started leaving an impression with his play style. Before his match in the Next Gen ATP Finals, this ATP star spoke about his traits and compared himself with one of the most successful ATP stars at the moment, Jannik Sinner.

“I like how Janik Siner plays. He is as tall as me and he moves very well – the Czech compares his height of 1.93 meters with the Italian, who is two centimeters shorter. – We are similar in that respect. And my forehand is similar to his. I can’t compare to Alcaraz because he is shorter and stronger. I’m thinner. When you look at the tall players today, they all have a strong serve as a weapon. My serve is also an important weapon,” said Mensik. His words echoed how carefully he observed Sinner’s playstyle, especially his service. His confident statement assured the fraternity that he could be following in the footsteps of the Italian player to become as successful and talented as him in the future.

Despite finding similarities with Jannik Sinner, this Czechia player revealed another player as his idol. He reflected on his first meeting with his idol, Mensik highlighting how it fueled his drive to become a tennis player.

Jakub Mensik reveals his idols in the sport

In an interview with SportKlub, Mensik revealed the names of the players who inspired his tennis journey. Despite comparing himself with Sinner, Mensik took two different names while stating his icons. “Novak has always been my idol, I saw him live for the first time at the US Open in 2021. When I came to practice, he was stretching. I spent ten minutes absorbing what he was doing. It was unforgettable. I started playing tennis because of Tomas Berdych, but Novak was also my idol. Until then I had only seen him on TV and when I saw him live for the first time, it was ‘wow,’” said the Czechia player. He also revealed how Djokovic helped him improve his skills when he invited the Serb to practice with him in Belgrade and Montenegro in 2022.

Jauk Mensik has shown impressive progress in his career recently. Following his statement, it seems like he might follow Sinner’s style and become one of the leading players in the future. Do you think he can make it?