Novak Djokovic conqueror brought crashing back down to earth by world No.131 wildcard
Jakub Mensik made a losing return to competition after beating Novak Djokovic to win the Miami Open.
Jakub Mensik received a brutal reality check as he made a losing return to competition in Munich. The teenager was competing for the first time since he beat Novak Djokovic to win his first title at the Masters 1000 in Miami.
But he suffered a shock opening-round defeat at the hands of world No. 131 Yannick Hanfmann, who needed a wildcard to enter the ATP 500 event. Coming into Munich, Hanfmann had only won two tour-level matches in 2025.
Related articles
But he put Mensik on upset alert when he took the first set 7-4 in a tiebreak. It’s the first tiebreak the world No. 23 has lost since playing the Cap Cana Challenger in March.
He won all seven breakers contested in Miami, including both in the final against Djokovic.
Mensik stormed back, winning the second set to force a decider. But he relinquished an early break and never got back on serve, allowing Hanfmann to serve out a 7-6(4) 4-6 6-3 victory.
It’s Hanfmann’s first win since February when he lost in the second round of the ATP 250 Santiago. And the German was delighted to finally end his four-match losing streak.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
“It means a lot. I’m coming off kind of a rough stretch of matches and I knew the level is there but you never know when it’s going to click, when it’s going to come,” the former quarter-finalist in Munich said.
“It came in Munich today. I like the conditions here. I’m also really grateful to the tournament for giving me an opportunity with the wildcard. Amazing feeling.
“I was for sure tight but I had a good focus, I was a little bit sick last week so I had to really contain all of the energy that I had and really focus on what’s ahead and I think that maybe pulled me through to the end.”
Explaining why it was such a special tournament for him, Hanfmann added: “I basically lived here for six years so that’s already something, right?
Related articles
“I think the conditions, a little bit of altitude, the ball bounces quite a bit. I just really like it. Lots of people come here to support me, I feel like I have a nice little following here and it’s always nice to play in front of your own fans.”
It’s not the first time Hanfmann has caused an upset on the clay. On his Italian Open debut in 2023, he upset Taylor Fritz and Andrey Rublev en route to his first Masters 1000 quarter-final.
But it’s back to the drawing board for Mensik, who was the sixth seed in Munich this week. The 19-year-old took a brief break after his Miami Open triumph.
Mensik pulled out of last week’s Monte-Carlo Masters, where he would have needed to go through qualifying because his ranking wasn’t high enough to make the main draw at the time of the entry list deadline.
He is next expected to compete in the Madrid Open at the end of the month.
