Jakub Mensik was lucky to avoid a default after throwing his racquet towards a ballboy during his defeat to Lukas Klein at the Miami Open. The 18-year-old is a bright and talented tennis prospect but his attitude leaves a lot to be desired – and it was on full display in Florida.
On Tuesday, Mensik faced Slovakian ace Klein in the second round of qualifying at the Miami Open. The teenager dropped a tight first set to Klein 8-6 in a tiebreak, which was the moment he lost his temper and threw his racquet.
Upon watching his serve slapped straight back for stunning Klein winner at 6-7 in the breaker, the Czech teenager vented his fury. As he trudged back towards his chair during a break, Mensik furiously launched his racquet, firing it in the direction of the umpire’s chair.
His racquet narrowly missed a ballboy and Mensik was lucky his foolish act did not strike anyone as the small crowd watched on in horror. The world No. 70 ultimately avoided a default and was able to continue the match with a warning.
Mensik went on to lose the second set 7-5, slipping to defeat and failing to qualify for the Masters 1000 event. Klein advanced instead, with the 25-year-old drawing American Alex Michelsen.
Fans online were stunned and upset as they watched Mensik behave recklessly and endanger those around him. One fan took to social media to suggest the incident was “scary”, while another wrote: “I watched yesterday and wasn’t impressed with how he played, and his attitude towards the game.”
Despite his poor showing in Miami, Mensik has enjoyed an impressive breakout campaign on the ATP Tour so far. He started the year brightly, qualifying for the Australian Open back in January after reaching the third round at last year’s US Open, his maiden Grand Slam appearance.
Mensik defeated Denis Shapovalov in the first round before eventually seeing his run come to an end at the hands of Hubert Hurkacz over five sets. While the teenager failed to match his showing in Flushing Meadows, he returned to form recently.
At last month’s Qatar Open, Mensik stacked a number of impressive wins over veteran and high-profile names. The towering Czech eliminated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, British icon Andy Murray, No. 1 seed Andrey Rublev and Gael Monfils en route to the final.
However, Mensik was denied a first career title as he fell to Karen Khachanov in the final. Regardless, fans will keep a close eye on his development given his exciting – and worrying – aggressive style.
