If one of the favorite theoretical players, Karen Khachanov, barely made it to the semifinals of the Doha tournament, It’s because of an 18-year-old kid named Jakub Mensik.
The young Czech reached the penultimate round after defeating, in quick succession, Alejandro Davidovich, Andy Murray and Andrey Rublev in a display of power by a man called upon to challenge the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for the next decade.
And all this by pure chance. Not his level of tennis, but the fact that this week he chose Doha instead of Los Cabos. And the Czech decided to benefit from the rule that allows a tennis player 20 years of age or younger to enter the main draw of an Open 250 as long as he is among the top 250 in the rankings worldwide, as in your case (116).
Rio ruled out for being category 500, why Doha and not Los Cabos? The answer, as naturally as it is strange: “They gave me a free iPhone“he said with a laugh in the interview at the foot of the track.
If only I knew, Rublev and company would have given him a better gift to send him to Mexico with Zverev and Tsitsipas.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
