(Reuters) -Novak Djokovic fell short in his bid to claim a 100th ATP title following a straight sets defeat by Czech teenager Jakub Mensik in the Miami Open final but the Serb said losing to his protege made it a little easier to digest.
Djokovic was looking to join Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) as the only three men in the professional era with 100 or more titles, but the 37-year-old crashed 7-6(4) 7-6(4) in humid conditions after several hours of rain delays on Sunday.
Despite the disappointment, Djokovic said he was happy that the 19-year-old Mensik was delivering on his potential with his maiden title.
“I’m never really happy to lose, but he’s one of the very few players that I would be happier to lose to, to be honest,” Djokovic told reporters.
“I’ve seen him play when he was 15 or 16 and invited him. We had some training blocks together. He was training at my club in Belgrade (in 2022) and to see his development and evolution is really great, amazing.
“I could see back then already that he’s going to be one of the top players of the world. I’m super glad that he’s using the potential that he has, because he’s got the complete game.”
Djokovic said that Mensik would only get better after becoming the second youngest Miami champion since Carlos Alcaraz, who won the trophy in 2022 as an 18-year-old.
“His serve is incredible, powerful, precise and he wins a lot of free points with the first serve,” 24-times Grand Slam champion Djokovic added.
“Backhand, as well. Czech school, they always have a great backhand. But forehand, he’s improved a lot. And movement for a tall, big guy like that, he slides and moves well. He still can improve, of course. So I’m sure we’ll be seeing him around.
“It’s unfortunate for me. Two tiebreaks, weird match, weird day with the rain delay and all the things that were happening. I didn’t feel my greatest on court, but it is what it is. Nothing to take away from his victory.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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